The Lost Guardian
by playing-in-the-mud
Summary: After decades of being a Guardian, Jack is more powerful than ever before, until he disappears without a trace. 17 years later, the Guardians find a human teenager who can see them but wants nothing to do with them. Problem is that he's Jack Frost. human!Jack
1. Chapter 1: Not Forgotten

**Summary: After decades of being a Guardian, Jack is more powerful than ever before until he disappears without a trace. 17 years later, the Guardians find a human teen who can see them but wants nothing to do with them. Problem is that he's Jack Frost. **

**Setting: Takes place almost a century after the events of **_**Rise of the Guardians.**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Not Forgotten<strong>

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><p>A blur of rainbow colors raced through the blizzard at top speed. The fairy's breaths came in short gasps, and her heart pounded wildly in her chest.<p>

Under her breath, the fairy muttered something like a chant, or maybe it was a prayer.

Her destination came into sight, and she zipped up the side of the building and through an open window. Warmth hit her as soon as she exited the frigid North Pole air, but for once she did not stop to enjoy it.

Her gaze swept frantically over the assembled figures. Her friends had all arrived before her. All but one that is.

The fairy queen tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, and she descended at a much slower pace. Around her head, her entourage of fairies voiced the distress that was most likely written all over her face.

Bunny was the first one to catch sight of her.

"Tooth," he grunted gruffly.

The tooth fairy nodded, trying not to take the Easter Bunny's rather curt greeting to heart. He was probably just as worried as she was.

"Nothing?" she asked.

Tooth scanned the faces of her friends, hoping that one of them had at least found a clue.

Her heart fell as one by one each one of her fellow Guardians shook their heads.

"Could be an elaborate prank," Bunny suggested. He tried to make his voice annoyed, but Tooth knew him too well. None of the others seemed to buy it either

When his comment was met with silence, the rabbit tried again, a little more desperately. "He could just want some time alone. He does that from time to time."

"Pranks never this elaborate. Never this long," North spoke up. "And even if boy does not visit us, other spirits would have caught sight of him. No one I have talked to have seen boy for months."

"Hate to say it, but it's been quiet on my end to," Bunny sighed, his ears falling in defeat.

Golden sand flew into the air. Images of little tooth fairies fluttered around a golden globe.

"I'm sorry, Sandy," Tooth sighed. "My girls have been nearly all over and haven't caught sight of him."

Golden sand shifted into a moon and then an arrow pointing skyward.

Four pairs of eyes turned towards the opening in the roof where the moon was clearly visible in the night sky.

"Man in Moon," North began respectfully. "Do you have any guidance to offer us in this time?"

Silence.

"So the ol' bloke doesn't know anythin' or won't say. Helpful," Bunny snorted.

The sandman gave the rabbit a reproachful look, but it went unnoticed.

"But storms are still goin'. He's got to be out there," Bunny all but protested.

North shook his head. "Storms can still go without him. Child is more like shepherd, not sole master."

If possible, the rabbit warrior's ears flattened even harder against his skull. The dream weaver's eyes widened, pain and disbelief written in them.

"He can't be—" Bunny started and then stopped, unsure how to say it.

"No!" Tooth exclaimed.

The other three startled at her shout, surprised at their gentlest member's outburst.

"No," Tooth repeated more softly. She pointed to the large globe in North's workshop where the little lights of belief winked down on them. "Those represent the children's belief in _all_ of us. Can't you feel it? They still believe in him, and they wouldn't do that if there isn't someone to believe in. He's still out there somewhere."

The queen stared fiercely at the little, twinkling lights, trying to draw strength from their warmth.

"There's still hope. Our winter child's still out there," she finished in a soft but firm voice.

"Tooth is right," North declared. "Children have not given up on him, so neither will we. No matter how long it takes."

Around the circle of friends, nods and affirmative murmurs were given in response.

"We won't abandon him again," Bunny announced. "It's a mistake we can't afford to make again."

Tooth left North's workshop at least feeling encouraged by her friends determination, but as soon as she once again reached the winter landscape that surrounded the workshop in all directions, her eyes stung with unshed tears.

Her little fairies buzzed around her head, twittering their comforts and support.

She swiped a hand delicately across her face and took in the scene with clear vision.

Six months to this night, the guardians had noticed one of there number missing. How much longer he had been gone before that, no one knew. Four months ago began the worldwide search with no sight or sign of their Guardian of Fun.

"Oh, Jack," she whispered to the quiet of the night. "Where have you gone?"

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><p><strong>17 years later<strong>

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><p>The wind whipped against anything it could find—the walls of houses, tree branches, and a certain little fairy.<p>

Baby Tooth trilled defiantly at the storm, pushing her head into the wind and beating her wings even faster.

Her queen had chosen her specifically for this mission, and she would not fail her queen nor would she fail the child.

Tonight, a violent storm battered the town of Burgess relentlessly. When the queen had gotten the alert that a tooth was waiting for them in Burgess, she had hesitated.

The queen never faltered in her work, but for that one moment, the queen worried that storm would be too much for her girls.

But the queen and her troops have not missed a tooth since the Nightmare King's attack almost a century ago, and she was not going to break that streak now, _especially_ now.

In the past decade, the world had been plunged into a time of violent storms. Without its winter child, the wind howled its rage at the world and searched desperately its long time companion.

The Guardians had tried to calm the wind's fury, but its rage could not be tempered, and it had only gotten worse over the years.

No, the fairy queen could not let this tooth go unanswered, not when the world needed even the smallest of lights.

So the queen had squared her shoulder and chose her little fighter to brave the storm.

She placed her blessing on the little fairy, but even with all her queen's strength, Baby Tooth was losing.

_Please,_ Baby Tooth called to the wind. _Let me through._

The wind did not listen.

Despite her exhaustion, Baby Tooth began to talk, soothing the wind.

She spoke of her memories of the frost child and how she too loved and missed him. The wind calmed for a moment, and the little fighter took her chance and sped through the snow.

She managed to reach the window before the wind began to howl its rage again, but it sounded more like a moan now as if Baby Tooth's stories had saddened it. She wrestled with the lock, and with a gust of wind, the window blew open with a loud bang.

Baby Tooth shrieked as wind and ice drove into her face. With more strength than one would expect from the tiny fairy, she shoved the window close again and the lock fell back into place.

The little fairy panted into the silence.

After a moment, the fairy's eyes widened, and she whirled, expecting to see an awakened child. But the room was empty.

Confused, Baby Tooth flew over to the bed and hovered over the vacant pillow. This was the place—she could sense that—but she could also sense that no tooth was in the immediate facility. Taking a breath, the fairy extended her senses. Baby Tooth released a sigh of relief after a moment. She was in the right house, just not the right room.

She slipped out of the room and headed to where she felt the tooth calling her.

She found the child. He was about ten and slept with his mouth slightly open so that the fairy could clearly see the new gap in his mouth.

The sight of teeth sent a shock of excitement through her body. The tooth was so close! Baby Tooth hesitated though.

There was a teenager in the room, definitely too old to still believe and therefore would not be able to see her, but teenagers and adults always made her nervous.

The teen was obviously the boy's older brother if the twin messes of brown locks where anything to go by. The teen also had an arm thrown over the younger boy in a protective gesture.

The smaller boy sighed in his sleep and snuggled closer to the teen. The sight made Baby Tooth soften ever so slightly, and she approached the bed carefully.

She easily wiggled her way under the boy's pillow and—oh!

Baby Tooth held back a coo of delight. The tooth seemed to shine with its own light. It had obviously been well taken care of, and when she laid her hands on the tooth, she could feel the good memories thrumming underneath its pearly surface.

She quickly unlatched the coin attached to her belt and placed it gently onto the bed. Taking hold of the tooth—the queen is going to love it!—she snuck her way back up to the surface.

Baby Tooth observed the tooth out of the darkness of the pillow's underside, wondering how to secure it to her person so the winds would not whisk it away when she went back out.

She shuddered, dreading the journey back out into the storm.

Suddenly, a six sense tingled to life, and her back felt like it was heating up. The fairy whirled, almost dropping the tooth in the process, and came face-to-face with the teenager.

Baby Tooth almost wished she was back out in the storm.

"I knew you would come," the teenager whispered.

How could he see her?

"James was afraid you wouldn't come because of the storm," the teenager continued, rubbing his little brother's arm absent-mindedly.

She needed to run, fly, anything! But she was frozen. She had never dealt with teenagers before. There had never been a real need to.

The teen reached towards her, and she flinched away, but he only flicked on a lamp that sat on his nightstand.

In the soft light of the lamp, Baby Tooth got a good look at the teen for the first time.

She nearly screamed.

Those eyes! Even brown instead blue, she recognized them.

And there was no mistaking that face.

That night, Baby Tooth did something she had never done in all her time of service.

She dropped the tooth.

_Jack_, she whispered.

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><p><strong>So maybe I should finish my other stories first, but this one has brought out of my writer's block, and I thought I might as well publish it. Enjoy!<strong>

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	2. Chapter 2: A Brother's Belief

**Chapter 2 – A Brother's Belief**

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><p><em><strong>Previously<strong>_

_Those eyes! Even brown instead blue, she recognized them._

_And there was no mistaking that face. _

_That night, Baby Tooth did something she had never done in all her time of service._

_She dropped the tooth._

_Jack, she whispered._

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><p><strong>The day before<strong>

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><p>"Jack!"<p>

The brown-haired teenager slouched in his seat, trying to swallow the bite of sandwich he had just taken. He knew that voice, and he knew that tone; whoever was calling him wanted a favor—most likely something that would get him in trouble.

Couldn't he just have this school lunch in peace?

"He hasn't seen me, has he?" the 17-year-old whispered to the girl across the school lunch table.

"Nah, he's still hasn't spotted you," the girl replied while flicking her blonde hair over one shoulder.

The teenager was just about to slink underneath the table in the most dignified way he could manage when—

"Jack! My ol' buddy, ol' pal!"

Hands slapped the skinny teen in the back with each word, and Jack felt teeth rattle inside his mouth.

Whoever was currently using his backside as a drum decided that hearty thwacks to the back were not an efficient way of showing one's affection, so the hands abruptly stopped, and Jack then found himself tightly wrapped in an awkward side-hug.

"Liar," he mouthed at the blonde girl across from him.

The girl only shrugged and took another bite from her lunch as if to hide that little smirk forming on the corners of her mouth.

"Mi amigo, friend!" his assailant continued as he rubbed his face on Jack's shoulder.

"What do you want, Kyle?" Jack said, smashing his palm into the other boy's face and forcing him away to a more acceptable distance.

"Hey, BFF! What makes you think that I want anything?" the boy said with a fake pout. "Maybe I've just missed you in this oh-so-very long hour that we've been away. Maybe your presence just lights up my day! Maybe—"

"Because the last time I saw you with that canary eating grin, I ended up cleaning up your mess. Do you know how hard it is to convince the principal—the _principal—_not to call your parents?" Jack asked.

"No," Kyle admitted. "I let you do that messy work since you're so good at it. You and your silver tongue, you."

With a final slap to Jack's abused back, the redheaded teen plopped down into the vacant spot at their lunch table.

"So, Jack, chum, homie, my dawg."

"Kyle, I'm going to puke on you," the blonde girl stated with a very serious look in her eyes.

"Whoa, Karla. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" Kyle snickered.

"I was having a lovely day before you walked into the room," she replied easily.

"Sweet as always, my dear Karla," Kyle said. He reached across the table and patted her cheek, and she promptly snapped at his fingers with her teeth.

Before Kyle could complain, a new voice spoke up, "Okay, I was going to ask if this seat is open, but you two are fighting again, and Jack has that I'm-going-to-strangle-Kyle face as always, so maybe I'll just back away slowly."

The trio looked up to see a brunette, clutching a sack lunch. Her face scrunched in a dubious expression.

"Sit here, Christina," Karla told the new girl, patting the seat next to her. "I'll break Kyle's fingers for you if he does anything."

"Well," Kyle said, turning his attention back to Jack. "So Jack, I might need a teensy-weensy favor from you."

"Again," Jack muttered into his sandwich.

"We're not counting are we, buddy?" Kyle laughed.

"It's only been 53 times this year and we haven't even made it to winter break yet," Jack replied.

"So we are keeping track. Cool!" Kyle said. "How 'bout making that an even 54, and I'll buy you a soda or something."

"How generous of you," Karla noticed.

"Exactly!" Kyle exclaimed. "I'm a very generous person."

"What's 54, Kyle?" Jack prompted before Karla could hit the redhead.

"I might want to get into Brittney McCracken's locker," Kyle said, waggling his eyebrows so it looked like his forehead was having a spasm.

"I would do that because…"

"Brittney has an overblown ego and mouth that runs a little too fast and a little too much, so in other words she's a b—"

"Granted, all those things you've said are true," Karla interrupted. "I still don't see why your genius brain of yours can't get yourself into her locker. Why drag Jack into this?"

"Because the only ways I can think of to get into her locker are a little too… explosive," Kyle said. "This mission requires stealth, and that's were Jack's nimble, magic fingers come in!"

"What would you do when you get into the locker?" Christina asked.

"I'll give you a hint. It involves a catapult and snowballs." Kyle grinned mischievously.

"How do you plan to use snowballs in a heated building?" Karla questioned.

"Oh, yea of little faith," Kyle said with a dramatic flourish of the hand. "I have my ways."

And Jack didn't doubt it. Kyle currently held a C average in his high school classes, but he was a genius in every sense of the word. The only problem was that Kyle could not seem to focus his ADHD mind on academics and instead applied it to more… creative means.

If Kyle said he was going to fit a fully functioning snowball catapult in a locker, Kyle was going to fit a fully functioning snowball catapult. No whats, ifs, or buts.

"Well," Jack drawled, once again reclaiming his friend's attention. "Since it includes snowballs, and a soda afterwards, I guess I could probably pop open a certain locker for you."

"Yes!" Kyle said, pumping his fist into the air while Karla groaned.

"Wonderful," Karla moaned. "The start of World War III is unfolding before our very eyes."

Kyle seemed to take that comment personally and began listing all the reasons of why that observation was blown grossly out of proportion.

It did not take long for the two of them to begin a full-out shouting match with poor Christina in the middle, trying to tell the both of them to shut up before they got thrown out of the cafeteria again.

Jack leaned back in his chair—enjoying the sight of his friends being… well, his friends—and laughed.

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><p>"Because of the unexpected fast approach of the storm, all of the Burgess school district is closing down early in anticipation of unsafe road conditions. Your parents have been notified, but we suggest that you individually contact your parents and that you get home as soon as possible," the PA system buzzed throughout the school. "Again, school is being let out early because of unsafe road conditions. This week's storm seems to be approaching much more quickly than anticipated, and we suggest that you return home quickly."<p>

Jack slung his backpack over one shoulder and slammed his locker door shut.

"Bummer, isn't it?" Kyle's voice came from his left.

"Yep. Rain check on that locker deal then?" Jack responded.

Kyle gave an unhappy grunt, eyeing Brittney where she was giggling with a bunch of her friends. "Well, at least we get a short school day out of it," Kyle muttered. "But I was looking forward to seeing her smug, little face covered in icy, little particles.

Jack gave a sharp laugh.

"Couldn't be helped," he told his friend, slinging an arm over the redhead's shoulder. "Storm's coming. They got to get us students home before it hits."

Jack's little cell phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen

"Do you need a ride home?" Jack asked. "Mom just texted me that she's almost here. We could drop you off on the way home."

"Nah, dude," Kyle replied. "Karla's giving me a ride."

"Is that a good idea?"

"I'm pretty sure she won't wreck us," Kyle said with a grin.

"Not that," Jack replied. "I'm more worried about you two being in a confined area together for an extended period of time."

"We could last a few minutes in each other's presence without killing each other!" Kyle protested.

Jack's phone buzzed again, and without even looking at his screen, he said, "That's my mom. I'll see you later as long as Karla doesn't strangle you."

"Why is it that you think I'm the one that's going to die between the two of us?" Kyle whined. "I could take her in a fight."

Jack snorted, "She could handle you blindfolded and with both hands tied behind her back." Jack hit the phone icon on his screen and brought the cell phone to his ear. "Hey, Mom. I'm heading out now."

"Hi, Mrs. Bennett!" Kyle yelled into Jack's ear. "Your son's being mean."

"See you soon, Jack. And tell Kyle to knock it off," his mom's voice sounded in the speaker.

Kyle wailed something about the whole Bennett family being against him as Jack hung up and bid his friend good-bye.

The fresh air hit him like a slap to a face, and Jack released a laugh into the still winter air. A small snowstorm had already covered the town in snow days before, but soon the coming storm would dump a new batch of white powder on Burgess.

A honking car caught the teen's attention, and he jogged over to the red minivan.

"Hey, Mom," Jack greeted as he slid into the passenger side.

"Beautiful, isn't it," the women at the wheel said, nodding at the snow-covered ground. "Pity that the storm's coming earlier so that we can't enjoy this little bit now."

"More the merrier?" Jack suggested.

The women frowned. "From what I heard, it might be a little too much," she said almost too softly for the teen to hear.

"Jack, look! Look!"

Small hands were shoved into Jack's face, and feet pounded the back of Jack's seat.

"James Samuel Bennett," Mrs. Bennett scolded. "Feet down."

The thumping stopped, but the hands still shoved themselves into Jack's personal space, offering Jack something he could not yet see.

The teen opened his hands, and a tiny white object plopped into Jack's hand.

"Another tooth!" James crowed.

Jack carefully pinched the tooth between two fingers and inspected it carefully in the watery winter light.

"Good job, bud," Jack said, handing the tooth back to his little brother. "How'd it come out?"

"Melissa socked me in the face," the boy said matter-a-factually.

"James," Mrs. Bennett reprimanded. "What were you doing in a fight?"

"It wasn't a fight!" the boy protested. "I asked her to. The tooth was just wiggling. Melissa bet she could get it out for me."

Mrs. Bennett shook her head, giving Jack a pointed look.

"What?" the teen asked. "I didn't give him to idea."

"Well, your father didn't teach him that. I certainly didn't teach him that. You really don't know how much your brother looks up to you?" Mrs. Bennett responded.

Jack knew. Of course he knew.

He gave his mother an apologetic smile.

"Do you think it'll be alright for tonight?" James asked, his voice suddenly soft with concern.

"What, bud?" Jack said.

"The Tooth Fairy!" James exclaimed. "It's supposed to really bad tonight, right? Can she make it through the storm?"

"Hey, hey, bud." Jack turned in his seat, so he could look at his little brother. "The Tooth Fairy's tough. A little storm can't keep her away. She'll get the tooth, and you'll get your prize."

"You think so, Jack?" the boy asked.

"Hey, have I ever tricked you?"

A smile broke over the boy's face. "Always."

Jack heard a muffled snort from his mother, but ignored it. "Well, not this time. Losing a tooth is some serious business. She'll come. Promise."

James smiled and nodded vigorously.

Jack turned back to face forward in his seat, and he heard his mom whisper a small thank you, but he turned away instead of acknowledging it.

"Better come tonight, Tooth Fairy," Jack muttered under his breath. "Don't make a liar of me."

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><p>Jack had always been a light sleeper.<p>

The wind rattled his windows and swirled the snow around in an icy flurry. The storm had come, but that was not what had awakened the teen.

"Jack," came the voice again, soft and insistent.

The teenager rolled over and found a pair of brown eyes level with his own.

"James?" Jack whispered groggily. "What time is it?"

He glanced over and caught sight of his clock flashing 12:52.

"Go back to bed, bud," Jack yawned. "I told you, I will only do these early mornings with you on Christmas."

"It's not that, Jack," James said. The wind slammed a branch across Jack's bedroom window, and Jack saw his little brother tense at the sound.

Sighing, Jack scooted to one side of his bed and held the covers open. "Come on."

James immediately shuffled his way under the blankets and pressed himself as close to his older brother as humanly possible. Jack could feel the boy's body shaking.

"You have nothing to be afraid of," Jack promised into the younger boy's hair. "I'm here."

Jack felt the boy nod, and gradually, the shaking stopped.

"I brought my tooth," James whispered.

Jack caught a flash of something white before James shoved it underneath his side of the pillow.

"She'll find it, right? Even if I'm in here?" the boy inquired hopefully.

"She can brave a storm," Jack stated. "I'm pretty sure she can brave the horrors of my room."

"As long as she doesn't find that stash of dirty underwear," James breathed.

"And how do you know of that, you little sneak," Jack whispered, poking his little brother in the side.

James giggled and squirmed away from Jack's probing. "All I have to do is follow my nose."

Jack chucked. "Go to sleep bud. I promise to not steal your tooth treasure."

"Pinky promise?" James held up his little finger.

"Pinky promise," Jack confirmed, linking his own finger around his brother's.

Jack felt like he had just closed his eyes when something jerked underneath his head.

Jack's eyes flew open and darted around the room, trying to locate the foreign movement.

The shadows had all changed, so it must have been a few hours later.

Again it happened, and Jack held his breath as a little green head poked itself out from underneath his pillow. The little fairy came into full view, holding James's tooth in both hands.

She was so small, Jack noticed. Delicate and beautiful. Tiny, iridescent wings twitched against her back, and Jack's brown eyes took in all the details of her body. Jack could not believe it; he stared in awe at the creature that he assured his younger brother would come. He knew without any doubt she would come, but he never actually thought he would have a chance to see her.

She suddenly whirled and stared with wide eyes at Jack, obviously not expecting him to be awake. Jack forced himself not to move so to not startle her even further.

After a moment's silence, Jack whispered, "I knew you would come."

She did not say anything, so Jack decided to fill the silence himself.

"James was afraid you wouldn't come because of the storm." Jack considered waking up his little brother, but decided against it. His brother was most likely exhausted from his nighttime scare, and perhaps he could convince the little fairy to stay until the morning.

Deciding he wanted a better look at the fairy, Jack reached across and flipped on his lamp.

The fairy squeaked, and Jack almost cursed himself for startling her.

Her tiny hands slipped on the tooth's smooth surface, and it dropped onto the pillow.

"Whoops," Jack said, catching the tooth before it could slip over the pillow's edge. "Don't loose this. It's very precious."

Jack could have sworn the fairy was blushing as she took back the tooth.

He was about to withdraw his hand, but the fairy grabbed one of his fingers and chittered at him. Jack got his first good look at the fairy and stared intently at the blue and purple color of her eyes.

"I—" Jack began to say, but was cut short as a searing, white-hot pain flashed behind his eyes.

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><p><strong>Kind of choppy and short, but I just wanted to show a little of Jack's human life plus the people in his life now play an important role for what Jack does in the future. May be cause for some dilemma later… o.O<strong>

**This is not a JackxOC fic for those who might be wondering. I plan to keep the OC participation at a minimum although they are important. **

**Thank you for all who reviewed/favorite/followed. This is the best response I've ever received for a story, and it's super encouraging. Your support helps me write faster! :)**

**Anonymous review responses:**

**Wanderlust: **Well I'm glad you found this fic then! Thanks for your review! Don't worry; I'm trying my hardest to get through this story. It annoys me too when people abandon stories (although I'm kinda guilty of that :P).

**Guest (1): **Thanks for the review! :D I hope I can keep wowing you.

**Guest (2): **I'm writing! I hope the future chapters just as good as the first. Thanks!

**Violet: **Well, I'm glad you happened upon this story. I'm pretty dead set on continuing this story, so I hope it lives up to your anticipation. Thanks!

**Tobi: **Here's your update! Hopefully I can keep a consistent weekly update… We'll see… Thanks for the review!

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	3. Chapter 3: The Boy of Two Worlds

**Chapter 3 – The Boy of Two Worlds**

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><p><em><strong>Previously<strong>_

_He was about to withdraw his hand, but the fairy grabbed one of his fingers and chittered at him. Jack got his first good look at the fairy and stared intently at the blue and purple color of her eyes. _

"_I—" Jack began to say, but was cut short as a searing, white-hot pain flashed behind his eyes._

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><p>Jack gripped his head between two hands as if he were trying to keep it from splitting open. He breathes raggedly between clenched teeth, while instinctively curling into tight ball.<p>

Concerned chittering echoed somewhere to his left, but it only served to add to the hammering in his skull.

"Quiet," Jack hissed. "I need to… need to…"

Jack was not sure what he needed to do, but there was something… something important. If only he could remember…

As soon as it came, it left, leaving a dull ache in its place.

Jack grimaced and glanced over to where James still slept, undisturbed. The teenager released a sigh of relief and rubbed his head with one hand.

"Migraine," Jack muttered.

Carefully, he untangled himself out from the sheets. The fairy buzzed around his head, her high, soft voice chattering indistinguishably at him.

"I'm fine," Jack whispered back at her. "Just need some aspirin or something."

Quietly, the teenager snuck out of the room and headed downstairs towards the kitchen cupboards. Snapping up a bottle and barely glancing at the label, Jack popped a pill in his mouth and swallowed it dry.

"Would you like anything?" he asked, directing his attention to his guest again. "Hungry? Thirsty?"

She nodded at the last one, and he got a glass from the cupboard. Filling the cup all the way to the rim, Jack set the cup gently on the kitchen table. He watched as the fairy balanced on the edge of the rim, and dipped her beak-like mouth into the water.

Jack sat heavily on one of the kitchen chairs, still messaging his temple.

"For some reason, I always thought the Tooth Fairy was bigger," Jack commented.

The fairy looked up from her drink, looking offended, but them her brow relaxed and she shook her head and twittered in her strange language.

"What?" Jack asked, confused.

She chirped again, pointing at herself and shaking her head. She pointed at the tooth and made a motion with it as if she was giving it to someone.

"You're… not the Tooth Fairy?" Jack guessed.

An affirmative nod.

"You're… her helper?"

Another nod.

She began speaking again, sounding urgent. She gestured at Jack and made a sound as if asking a question.

"Sorry," Jack said. "I'm not getting what you're trying to say."

She tried again, her speech going faster and higher. She began to sound distressed, and Jack frowned, wondering what he had done wrong. Maybe he was not supposed to see her.

Instead of responding, Jack reached across and ran a gentle finger against the side of her head, hoping the gesture would convey his apology for whatever this was. She stilled at his touch, and when he was about to take his hand away, she grabbed a finger with her free hand and nuzzled it with her cheek.

She stared intently at him as if trying to tell him something with her gaze.

"You are beautiful, little fairy," Jack said.

She shivered at the sound of his voice, and Jack realized that her hand was freezing.

"The storm," Jack realized. "Here; just a second."

He ran to where his mom kept the clean kitchen towels and grabbed one.

He placed it on the table and then went back to cabinet where he got the aspirin. Grabbing a hand warmer, Jack turned back to the table where the fairy was already wrapping herself in the towel. He shook the hand warmer until it began to warm under his fingers and placed it next to the fairy.

The fairy gratefully huddled against the warmth.

Jack sat back down, and they stayed like that in silence. Every now and then the fairy would give him little baleful glances, but she did not try to speak to him again. Eventually she shrugged off the towel and trilled something.

Jack had dozed off for a moment and it took him a moment to realize she was pointing at the window.

"You want to go back out there?" Jack asked.

The fairy nodded.

"You can't," Jack blurted out.

The fairy looked at him in surprise, not expecting his outburst.

"The storm," Jack clarified. "It's supposed to go on for days."

The fairy made the motion of giving the tooth to someone and then pointed back at the window. She puffed up her chest and straightened her wings as if to say, _I'll be all right. _

"You're brave, little fairy," Jack chuckled, running a finger against her cheek again. She seemed to savor the touch. "Are you sure there is nothing I can do to convince you to stay? James would love to meet you."

She shook her head and took to the air. She floated over the window, clearly determined to leave as soon as possible.

Jack sighed. Something told him that if he did not let her out, she would find her own way out somehow. After all, she had found her way inside.

"Safe journey, little fairy," Jack told her.

He put his hand on the window's latch, and she squeaked. Faster than his eyes could follow, she zipped over to his face and somehow managed to give him a small peck on the cheek. Before Jack could realize what the fairy had done, she returned to the window, the tooth held firmly between her two tiny hands.

Jack nodded one last time to the fairy and opened the window.

The fairy charged headfirst into the storm, and Jack soon lost sight of her green body in the swirl of white.

* * *

><p>"Lateral incisor in Djibouti, Sector Three. Has someone already taken the one in New York? 23rd Street. Let's go, ladies! A first premolar is waiting in Tver, Sector Five."<p>

Tooth took a deep breath, ready to rattle another list of directions, when a sharp cry cut through the normal buzz of activity in her palace. Waves of distress and excitement rolled off one of her children, and the queen turned in time to see a green blur barrel into her command center.

"Baby Tooth, dear," Tooth called out, opening up her hands.

The little fairy dropped tiredly into her queen's palms and dropped a perfect white tooth.

"Oh," Tooth moaned, not because of the tooth, but because of all the emotions swirling around her little fighter.

Tooth let herself drop to the floor, her wings ceasing their furious beating in a moment of uncharacteristic stillness. Baby Tooth organized her thoughts and sent the events of the past day to her queen.

There was the storm her little fighter had to fly through, but she had made it through. She found the tooth, and oh, wasn't it beautiful? But then there was the boy. The boy with the wrong eyes that held no recognition. And the hands that stroked her gently in such a familiar way, but held too little and too much warmth at the same time.

Her brave one started to shed tears as the confusion and exhaustion became too much.

"Hush now, Baby Tooth," Tooth soothed. "You have done well."

She handed off the tooth to be properly stored away and sent messages to her other Guardians.

She stroked Baby Tooth's head, hope and distress blooming in her chest as she saw the boy's face through her fairy's eyes.

"Come quickly, my friends," Tooth murmured as she watched her messengers take to the sky. "Please hurry."

* * *

><p>The other three Guardians found the fairy queen sitting quietly on one of her many platforms throughout her palace. It was a strange, almost disturbing sight. The Tooth Fairy rarely stopped her work.<p>

As they drew near, they could hear her whispering to something in her lap, "How did I not see it before? The answer was always here. If I wasn't so busy, I would have seen it."

"Oi, sheila." Bunny hopped over to the Tooth Fairy. "We're here to help. What's buggin' ya?"

Tooth looked up at her friend with bright and teary eyes. "We found Jack."

Bunny jerked away from her as if he had been burned and sat back slowly on his haunches.

"Then he is here, no?" North asked eagerly. He twisted around, expecting a familiar mop of white hair and bright smile to come out from behind one of the many pillars.

Sandy sensed the Tooth Fairy's deeper hurt and took one of her hands, squeezing it questioningly.

She handed one of the objects in her lap to Bunny. "What do you see?" she asked.

Bunny took the item cautiously and felt the familiar weight of a regular tooth box. He handled it carefully and turned the box so that the painted face of a boy smirked up at him.

The Easter Bunny swallowed back a lump as he recognized the mischievous face; he had not seen this box since nearly a century ago. He inspected the box more carefully, but saw nothing had changed since he saw it last.

"This is the little bugger's box," Bunny muttered. "Tooth, I don't understand what this here has to do with finding Jack."

"What is this then?" Tooth said instead of answering Bunny. She shoved another tooth box towards the rabbit, startling him.

He took it from her and looked down at the face painted on it. His brow creased in confusion, and he heard North give a grunt of surprise as he too noticed the strangeness of the two boxes. He gave them to Sandy, so that he could see as well. The Sandman gave a small start of surprise.

The two boxes shared the same face.

"Jack has two boxes?" North asked, confused. "That is not right."

"No," Tooth gasped. "I mean, yes. They're both his."

She began speaking too fast for any of the other Guardians to decipher.

"Whoa, Toothy." Bunny held up for hands in a placating gesture. "Deep breaths and slow down."

She nodded, holding up a hand. A blur of green shot out from her swarm of little fairies and landed on her hand. It was Baby Tooth. Bunny could not be sure, but he thought that the tiny fairy had been crying recently.

"That box"—she pointed to the first box—"belongs to Jackson Overland. Jack's human life before he became Jack Frost."

They all knew that. Jack himself had told them the whole story maybe two decades after the Battle of Burgess.

Tooth pointed to the second box. "The second box belongs to Jack Bennett, a human teenager currently living in Burgess who also is Jack Frost."

"Tooth…" Bunny began, unsure how to tell her that she might be a little exhausted from a long day. They had suspected the Bennetts were indirectly related to Jack; it was not much of a surprise that one of them might look similar to him.

"Look," Tooth said. She took Bunny and North's hands in her own, and Sandy laid his on top of hers, knowing what she might do.

An image of a brown-haired boy flashed in their minds. They saw it for only a moment, but they had no doubt of whom he was. It was no family resemblance; it was the real deal.

"Jack!" North gasped.

An exclamation point followed by a question mark formed over Sandy's head.

"Baby Tooth saw him last night," Tooth said miserably.

Bunny did not understand his friend's dismal behavior. "Where is he, Tooth?" he asked, hopping to his feet. He was going to strangle the kid after a good solid hug. "What are we all doing just sitting around here for? Let's get him."

Tooth looked up at Bunny with large, sad eyes. Baby Tooth chittered forlornly from where she sat on Tooth's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Bunny questioned. He needed to go—to make sure Jack was all right.

"He did not recognize Baby Tooth when he saw her," Tooth explained quietly. "Baby Tooth said that he seemed like a normal teenage boy. He doesn't know he's Jack Frost. He doesn't know us."

The Tooth Palace went silent. Even Tooth's armada of fairies was quiet. Outside, the wind groaned as if mourning Tooth's words.

"That's impossible!" Bunny spat in a harsher tone then he meant to.

"Bunny is right," North agreed although his eyes reprimanded the rabbit for his harsh tone. "Jack is Jack. He cannot be someone else."

"I know that," Tooth returned. "But I saw it through Baby Tooth's eyes. That really is Jack, and he really is human."

Sandy patted her leg as if to say, _I believe you._

Tooth gripped Sandy's hand and smiled at her friend.

"There was something else," Tooth started. "Baby Tooth also said that Jack reacted strangely to her. He had a headache for a moment. Maybe the memories are still there and Baby Tooth's presence was bringing them out? Our Jack might not be all gone."

Sandy looked at the other two Guardians. Golden sand formed the image of Jack and then swirled into the symbol for a heart that pulsed with an imaginary beat.

North nodded. "You are right, old friends—as always. Jack is still alive." He looked Bunny. "There is still hope, and now we know where to find him."

"So what do we do now?" Bunny asked. "Stick him in a sack and bring him back?"

North opened his mouth, but Bunny shot him a disapproving look.

"Sarcasm, mate," Bunny said before North could declare that a good idea. "Jack hardly appreciated it as Frost. I don't think he'll appreciate it any more as an amnesiac human."

Tooth lifted her head and said timidly, "If it is alright with the rest of you, I would like to speak to Jack before the rest of you. As the Guardian of Memories, maybe I could help him recall something."

The three males shared glances and came at a silent consensus.

"Sounds reasonable," Bunny grunted. "If that doesn't work, there are other ways to jog the bugger's memories."

The Easter Bunny made a show of smacking a fist to his other palm, which Tooth thought looked ridiculous. Tooth giggled, her spirits lifted just a little.

A warm hand landed on her shoulder, and North gave a forced chuckle.

"Hopefully, situation will not call for that, yes?" North said. "We hope for your success, and may Man in Moon go with you."

* * *

><p><strong>Again, a huge thank you to all my readers :D<strong>

**Answers to anonymous reviews:**

**Guest (1): **haha great… now I've started a movement… (-_-)'

**Guest (2): **And… here's the update :) Thanks for your review!

**Devil angel: **Thanks for you review! Glad to see you're enjoying the story so far.

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	4. Chapter 4: Here to Stay

**Chapter 4 – Here to Stay**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously<strong>_

_Tooth lifted her head and said timidly, "If it is alright with the rest of you, I would like to speak to Jack before the rest of you. As the Guardian of Memories, maybe I could help him recall something."_

_The three males shared glances and came at a silent consensus._

_North grunted, "We hope for your success, and may Man in Moon go with you."_

* * *

><p>Jack almost did not hear the knocking over the howling wind.<p>

It was the third night of the storm, and the storm had not even reached its climax yet.

At first, Jack excused the little knocking sound for a tree branch hitting against his window. He barely glanced up from the book in his hand. Seriously, the teachers just had to assign homework on these snow days?

The knocking came again, and when Jack did not answer it right away, it became an insistent pounding.

Jack's head jerked up at the sound, and he saw the silhouette of a figure in his window.

Jack leapt out of his bed and rushed to the window, barely questioning the fact that his room was two stories up.

"What are you doing out in this storm?" Jack yelled over the wind as he opened the window.

The snow-covered figure did not answer, but rather rushed into the warmth of the room.

Jack wrestled with the window shutters, but his grip on them slipped as the wind and snow battered against him. The cold whipped at his exposed skin, and Jack could feel ice gathering on the tips of his hair. Jack grabbed at his shutters again and grunted in frustration as they refused to close. He pushed against the wind.

"Would you quit it," Jack growled out at no one in particular.

Jack lost his balance when the shutters suddenly closed. Jack got to his feet quickly and locked the window quickly before the wind could blow it open again, but there was no need. When he glanced outside again, the world was almost perfectly still.

Fat flakes still drifted lazily down, but they no longer whirled and danced wildly in the wind. The trees had ceased their crazy waving, and the howling had simply stopped.

"Weird," Jack muttered.

"The wind recognizes the voice of its closest companion," a young female voice said behind him.

Jack whirled; he had almost forgotten of his strange visitor.

The girl had brushed off almost all the snow, so Jack could see her clearly for the first time.

She was pretty.

Jack forgot her mysterious words as he took in the sight of her. She was not human; a half-blind person could see that. She wore no clothes, but she did not need to. A rainbow of feathers covered her body and trailed into a long train behind her. Most impressive of all were the iridescent wings stretched out behind her.

Jack's mind registered the wings in a vague stupor. Oh, that's how she got up to the second story.

"Who…?" Jack did not need to finish that question. He knew who she was.

"Hello, Jack." She said his name as if it held more weight than he knew of.

"You're the Tooth Fairy, aren't you?"

Something flashed in her eyes, and the soft lift in her lips dipped downwards.

Jack thought he had said something wrong, but she was smiling again before he could question it.

"You can call me Tooth," she offered. Something green darted away from her shoulder, and she added. "And that's Baby Tooth."

The green blur came to hover in front of him, and Jack recognized the little fairy from the other night.

"Hello again, Baby Tooth," Jack greeted, trying out the name.

The little fairy trilled happily.

Jack looked back at the Tooth Fairy. Mom had trained him to courteous to houseguests, but she had never told him what to do when supernatural beings came for an unexpected visit.

"Do you need anything?" Jack asked hesitantly. "A drink? A towel to dry off with?"

Tooth and Baby Tooth exchanged a glance that Jack did understand, and again Tooth looked sad, almost unbearably so.

"I'm fine, dear," the Tooth Fairy said graciously. "I just need to talk to you."

Jack felt like he was in the principal's office. He glanced over to where Baby Tooth was hovering.

"I'm not in trouble am I?"

Tooth laughed airily, but it sounded strange.

"No," she denied. "It's actually kind of complicated."

"Okay," Jack said carefully, his curiosity piqued. "I've got all night."

He gestured to his desk chair and plopped down on his bed. Tooth sat down in the chair delicately and fidgeted in her seat as if she was not used to using one.

"You don't seem all that… surprised with me being here," she began slowly.

Jack shrugged. "Oh, I get visits from supernatural beings all the time."

"Really?" She seemed a little too eager.

Jack gave an awkward laugh. "That was a joke."

"Oh." Tooth deflated. "Sorry, I don't have too many interactions with humans."

"It's alright," Jack said, making a note to keep his speech straightforward from now on. "And I am surprised. I just…"

Jack did not know how to explain it. It was the same when he saw Baby Tooth the other night. A part of him was ecstatic, eager to take in every detail of the fairy in front of him. The other part of him felt comfortable—felt _right_—with these supernatural being, and strangely enough, that seemed to mollify him.

"I've always believed in you," Jack said with a shrug.

"You do know that's unusual, right?" Tooth said. She did not say that unkindly, but with a smile that said this was significant for something.

Jack shrugged again. He knew he friends no longer believed, but his belief never struck him as odd.

"Why do you still believe, Jack?" Tooth pressed.

"Is this why you're here?" Jack asked.

"Partly," Tooth answered, making a motion with her hand as if to say, "Answer the question."

"I've never had a reason not to," Jack said slowly. "I mean, you're here now. You're just confirming something I always knew. Whether you've been here or not, you've always been a part of my life. I mean, I believe the pope exists, and I've never met him."

Tooth smiled as if his answer pleased her.

"And what of the others?" she asked. "Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman?"

"Sure," came the easy answer.

"And Jack Frost?"

"Nips at your nose?" Jack joked with a smile. "Sure, him too."

"May I show you something?" Tooth inquired.

"Sure, wha—"

Tooth laid a finger on his temple before he could ask his question, and his vision went white.

A familiar laugh echoed in the whiteness. It took a moment for Jack to realize it was _his _laugh, but he had not opened his mouth and it was coming from a distance. The laugh came again and closer. A boy about Jack's age appeared out of what Jack now realized was snow. The boy held a strange staff and wore a blue hoodie.

He spotted Jack and grinned playfully at him. He seemed to float up to Jack and offered him a hand.

"Coming, Tooth?" the boy asked.

Jack knew that voice! Jack startled at the boy's voice and looked up to see him clearly for the first time.

The boy had blue eyes and white hair, but those were the only unfamiliar things, for the boy was wearing his face.

Jack gave a yell and found himself back in his bedroom.

Jack closed his eyes, but the image of the other boy was now burned into his memory, and it sent an electric shock through his body. The teen shook his head as if to dislodge the image.

"Jack, honey?" A knock sounded at his door.

When he did not answer right away, the voice behind the door said, "I'm coming in."

His mom opened the door, and her eyes roved around the room until it found Jack sprawled on his bed.

"Is everything okay?" Mrs. Bennett asked. "I heard you yell."

Jack's eyes flicked over to his desk where Tooth still sat in his chair.

"She can't see me," the fairy said.

Jack looked back at his mom and saw that she too was looking over at his desk.

"I thought I saw something move," Jack said quickly. "Over by the desk."

"Not mice, I hope," Mrs. Bennett said, coming in. "Your dad said he got rid of them all."

"I hope he did it in a harmless way," Tooth commented. She got up and hovered away when Jack's mom moved the chair away from the desk. "I'm rather fond of mice."

"It was probably just my imagination," Jack supplied. He tried not to look at the fairy and focus on his mother instead. The two separate conversations were starting to give him a headache.

His mother finished her inspection and nodded slowly.

"I hope it's just that," Mrs. Bennett muttered. "If you see anything else, you let us know. We already had one mouse problem this year, and that's as far as I want to take it."

She came over to where Jack still sat on his bed and kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"Don't stay up too late," Mrs. Bennett said, ignoring the mock gagging noises coming from her son. "I just heard the report and there's a possibility schools may reopen tomorrow. You'll need your rest then."

Jack ceased his furious rubbing on his forehead and stared in surprise at his mother.

"But they said the storm would last for at least a week. It's only been a few days," he protested.

"It's the strangest thing," Mrs. Bennett said. "The storm just cleared not too long ago and the weather report says the winds have changed, directing any more storms away from us."

"Strange," Jack agreed although his mind was thinking back to the boy with the white hair.

Mrs. Bennett caressed his cheek. "Good night, Jack."

Once the door closed behind his mother, Tooth spoke up, "She seems nice."

"What was that?" Jack hissed at her, careful to keep his voice low.

"The talking?" Tooth asked. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have talked to you while your mother was here. Sandy always says I need to learn to be a little more… reserved."

"Not that," Jack said. "The thing you showed me. Who was the boy?"

Tooth lowered herself back onto the desk chair; her soft smile that had been on her face since she arrived melted slowly off her face.

"That was a memory of mine," she explained. "I was playing with Jack Frost during that time. That had been one of the last times I saw him before he disappeared about 17 years ago."

She looked so sad that Jack had the urge to comfort her, but his mind was still struggling to understand something.

"But… but why did he look so much like… like me?" Jack finally got out.

Tooth stared intently at Jack's face, while Baby Tooth made a mournful noise.

She answered cautiously as if afraid of his response. "He looks so much like you because he _is _you."

Jack stared at her, not knowing how to respond to such a ridiculous statement, so he did what he always did when facing an unknown. He laughed.

"I can't be—He and I—My name's Bennett," Jack sputtered through slightly hysterical giggles.

Jack did not know why, but panic was starting to build in his chest.

"You are a Bennett," Tooth agreed. "But you are also Jack Frost."

"No," Jack denied firmly, his laughter ceasing. "I can't be both. That's impossible."

"Then how do you explain you and Frost looking the same? Your two appearances are not just similar; they are—minus a few coloration differences— the _same. _And how do you explain this?"

She took one of his hands in both of hers.

"You can see, hear, and touch me," Tooth declared. "Your belief is so strong even though you should have stopped believing years ago."

Jack jerked away his hand, feeling scared. "I don't know," he confessed. "I've always believed. It's never been a question for me. But you got the wrong guy. I'm not Jack Frost."

The moment the words left his mouth, Jack felt a twinge of regret as the words cost him something, but he set his mouth in a firm, stubborn line.

"I've known Jack Frost for almost a century. He has been my companion, friend, and comrade through so much. I know Jack Frost, and you are him," Tooth insisted gently.

She looked so sad, and Jack had the urge to comfort, but the only thing that would comfort her was to tell her he believed her. Jack may believe in many things, but this was not one of them.

"I'm 17," Jack said. "Not some centuries old spirit."

"Jack Frost has been missing for 17 years," Tooth reminded him.

"Doesn't really prove anything," Jack muttered.

"Here, do you mind holding something for a minute?" Tooth dug something out of a satchel and presented Jack with a golden cylinder.

Jack accepted it hesitantly, and his eyes widened when he saw it up close. It seemed to be pure gold and was bedecked in jewels. He almost gave it back in fear of handling something so precious, but the moment the cylinder touched his fingers, he had felt a connection to it. It felt right in his hands.

He ran a hand over what he assumed was the top of the container and the jewels began to glow. Jack gasped and drew back his fingers. The glowing stopped.

Jack looked up to Tooth for some sort of explanation and saw that she was now wearing a satisfied expression.

"Look at the side of the box," she instructed.

He did so and saw his likeness, if a little younger, painted on the side of the container.

"Why is my face on this?" he asked, partially dreading the answer.

"Each child has one," she explained. "My fairies and I store your teeth in these memory boxes for safe keeping."

"So this one is mine?"

"No, this one is." She took out another box and offered it to him.

Grimacing, Jack used his free hand to push away, not liking where this was going. When his fingers touched the second box, it too glowed, and Jack snapped his hand away.

"Why do they keep doing that?" he demanded.

Tooth set the box in her lap. "There are only two people who can open these memory boxes. Myself, and by extension my fairies, and the person whom the box belongs to. The boxes glow when their child is in need of them."

"So this one's mine," Jack asked, looking at the painted face on the side of the first box.

Tooth shrugged. "Yes and no. This one belongs to Jack Bennett," she said, holding up the one in her lap. "The one you hold belongs to Jack Frost."

Eyeing the container with a new sense of caution, Jack noted, "But it glowed when I touched the top."

The Tooth Fairy did not say anything, but instead gave him a pointed look.

Jack's mind suddenly clicked it all together.

Jack shoved the container towards Tooth who took it gently.

"That doesn't mean anything. Just because it glowed… I'm not Jack Frost," Jack repeated himself, but this time it sounded a little weaker.

"There are no exceptions," Tooth insisted. "Ever since a certain enemy stole the teeth years ago, my fairies and I have reinforced the magic surrounding these boxes. Besides myself, only the child can open the box."

Jack needed to move. He got up from his bed and started pacing, running his hands through his hair.

"Jack." Tooth hovered after him. "I don't tell you this to upset you, but we need you to come home."

"You don't need me. You're all big shots. I'm just—"

"You're underestimating your importance," Tooth said with a small smile. "Things around the world have been off balance ever since you disappeared. The rest of us have tried to soften the damage, but there are some things we cannot do. Jack Frost, you, have always been our linchpin even before you joined us."

Jack's head ached. Both hands were now grabbing at his hair. He was not some important mythical spirit. He did not have that power.

Jack groaned and balanced himself against his nightstand.

His sudden weight against the stand rattled it, and a picture frame tipped over. Jack stared the faces of his little brother and himself in the frame. It was his favorite picture of them after an all out snowball fight.

The hand still in his hair, gripped the brown locks even tighter, and he breathed deeply.

His name was Jack Bennett. He was an ordinary high school student. He lived with his father, mother, and younger brother. And nothing was going to take him away from that.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," Jack rasped.

"Jack," Tooth began to protest, but Jack sliced a hand through the air, silencing her.

Jack felt momentarily guilty about the hurt look on her face, but he had made his decision.

"Maybe I was Jack Frost once, but it's obvious that isn't the case any more. I don't have powers. I don't have these memories. I can't help you."

Tooth held up the first memory box and said, "Then let me show you the memories. They helped you once before; they could help again."

Jack shook his head and stared her straight in the eyes. "I'm Jack Bennett and nothing more," he said firmly.

"Oh, Jack. You are so much more," Tooth murmured.

Jack was struck by the love he saw in her eyes. It was the kind of thing he always remembered seeing in his mother's eyes that said that no matter what he did, he would always have his mother's love. He had to look away.

"Please go away," he begged.

A hand stroked his arm. He heard twittering, which he assumed came from Baby Tooth, but another person shushed it.

"I will leave, Jack," the Tooth Fairy conceded. "I won't force you, but do know that despite what you think, you are Jack Frost, you are important, and there are people who need you."

"Are you saying I'm selfish in staying here?" Jack asked defensively.

Tooth shook her head. "No. It is very kind of you and important to think of and love your family." She nodded to where the picture frame sat on his nightstand. "But as your fellow Guardian, I at least have the responsibility of reminding you that you took an oath."

"What oath?"

Tooth was moving away now towards the window. Jack did not follow.

"The oath of a Guardian. As much as I would like to tell you more, it is your oath, and that is for you to remember." She held up the two containers for him to see before sliding them back into her satchel. "But if you need help remembering anything else though, I would be more than happy to oblige."

The Tooth Fairy unlatched the window and stood on his windowsill, her wings raised and ready. Jack yearned to jump out the window and fly with her, but it was a foolish thought.

"You still believing is an unusual thing," Tooth stated with a frown. "I doubt you have just attracted the attention of just the Guardians. There are others out there who might take advantage of this situation."

"Are you saying I should stop believing?"

"Do you think you can?"

Jack was silent, which was answer enough.

"Be careful, Jack," Tooth warned. "Someone took away your powers, and if you are attracting supernatural attention, this enemy might show his face again."

"Do you have someone in mind?" Jack asked.

Tooth shrugged. "I have several people in mind. You have the protection and alliance of the Guardians, but that may not be enough."

Jack felt a shiver go up his spine.

"One last piece of advice," Tooth said. She looked back at him, and Jack could clearly see her amethyst eyes. "Remember Jamie."

And with that last name to remember, Tooth flew off into the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks once again to all my readers and especially my reviewers! You rock! :D<strong>

**Answers to anonymous reviews:**

**Devil angel: **Thanks again for your review! And well, you see Jack doesn't take it well now does he... poor Jack...

**Guest: **Aww... Thanks :)

**KMB: **Here's your more and thanks for the review!

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	5. Chapter 5: Coming Storm

**Chapter 5 – Coming Storm**

* * *

><p><strong>Note: To clarify, James is not Jamie. In hindsight, I should have probably picked a different name to avoid the confusion, but I had wanted to draw some parallels and I figured that it was sort of a family name for the Bennetts. But as a reminder, this story is a good (almost) century later from the movie.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Previously<em>**

_"Be careful, Jack," Tooth warned. "Someone took away your powers, and if you are attracting supernatural attention, this enemy might show his face again."_

_"Do you have someone in mind?" Jack asked._

_Tooth shrugged. "I have several people in mind. You have the protection and alliance of the Guardians, but that may not be enough."_

_Jack felt a shiver go up his spine._

_"One last piece of advice," Tooth said. She looked back at him, and Jack could clearly see her amethyst eyes. "Remember Jamie."_

_And with that last name to remember, Tooth flew off into the night._

* * *

><p>"He believes in us, but wants nothing to do with us."<p>

Bunny slammed his fist on the table, his ear quivering with barely contained frustration. They were meeting at North's workshop this time, which was not helping Bunny's mood in the slightest.

"Little, bloody bugger!" Bunny jumped from his seat. "My turn, mates. I'm going to drag Frost back by his toes if that's what it takes."

"Bah, sit down, Bunny," North said, grabbing his friend and forcing him back into the chair. "Always so dramatic."

Someone touched Tooth's arm; Sandy gave his friend a brave smile, encouraging her to continue telling them what had happened with her encounter with the former frost child.

Tooth took a deep breath, and stated, "There's no question that the boy is our Jack. I did not see anything that hinted at why he is currently the way he is, although I don't think our Jack is completely erased. He seemed… Jack knew who I was. He of course recognized me as the Tooth Fairy, but there was something more to it all. It all felt very familiar, and I think Jack also realized that. Though he denies it now, I think he does sense the truth in my words."

"Did ya show him his memories?" Bunny asked.

The fairy shook her head.

"Why not?" Bunny grounded, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Because, E. Aster Bunnymund," Tooth began, glaring at the rabbit, "Memories are a gift. I will not force them on anyone or else they cease to be just that. Jack refused when I offered."

The rabbit warrior shrank back into his seat, his anger and frustration momentarily abated.

North looked around at his family, noting the discouragement and worn nerves. Jack's disappearance had not only had a negative effect on the world's climate, but also on the family unit of the Guardians. Disheartened, the toymaker sighed.

For Jack's sake, the Guardians could not fall apart, especially now.

"Jack at least believes," North reminded his friends. "All is not lost."

Sandy nodded his agreement. Sand flashed in the air, spelling out a question that weighed on all their minds: _What now?_

The Guardians fell silent, mulling over the details Tooth had brought them.

"I hate to say this, but should we do anything?" Tooth asked. She looked up to meet the eyes of each of the Guardians. "I want him back as much as anyone, but he's so happy where he is. Jack never had a normal human life. Is it right for us to take that away from him?"

There was another few seconds of quiet contemplation as they all considered the idea with a new sense of guilt.

"If this was just about Jack, then perhaps we could leave him," North answered. "But this is more about boy, no?"

Sandy nodded. More golden sand flew and created fierce miniature storms, and then shifted into little children who were reaching out to someone.

"They're right," Bunny said, crossing his arms. "World's been pretty much in chaos since Frost's disappeared. No other nature spirit I know can control the wind and storms like he can. The little ankle-biters need him. And there's something else… When the kids lose their belief in us, what happens to us?"

"We fade," Tooth supplied. Her eyes widened, her mind putting it together.

Bunny nodded. "The ankle-biters' belief in Jack has been wanin' over these past years. I don't know if the rules still apply to him as he is now, but I'm not willing to take that risk. I'm not losin' him for good."

Tooth gasped, the possibility too horrible to consider. Sandy's hands balled into tight fists, and North stroked his beard as he frowned at nothing.

The Guardian of Hope noted all his comrades' faces and announced, "So it's agreed then. We get back Frost at all costs?" He looked at Tooth and added, "I know, sheila, it may be cruel to take him away from his family, but at the very least, we need to show him all the sides of this. I hardly think he'll want to fade because of something he doesn't fully understand."

Another round of nods came from the gathering of Guardians.

"So first things first," North said. "Getting Jack Frost to believe he is Jack Frost."

"Sounds simple enough," Bunny snorted unconvincingly.

His sarcasm was met with silence, and Bunny's ears lowered as he noted the exhaustion on Tooth's face and discouragement on the other two male Guardians'.

"Since none of ya are jumpin' at the chance, I'll go talk to little annoyance for ya," Bunny volunteered.

"Oh Bunny, would you?" Tooth said, relief and worry both evident in her voice.

"Of course," Bunny answered. "Ya and Sandy are busy enough with your 'round the clock jobs, and Christmas is coming up. I'm the best choice."

"Be gentle," Tooth pleaded. "Something about Jack seemed… vulnerable when I talked to him.

Bunny nodded, and North laid a warm hand on his friend's shoulder.

"If you don't mind, old friend. Keep an eye on child." North's eyes were shadowed as he spoke his next words. "Strange magic is here; I can feel it in my belly. Jack will need a Guardian."

Bunny smirked, although it seemed a little sad.

"I'll keep two eyes on him, mate. The Man in the Moon knows I'll need to use both to keep the dingo out of trouble."

The rabbit tapped his foot on the ground, and a hole opened up.

"Keep the little ankle-biters safe," Bunny said, flicking an ear to where North's globe spun slowly. "And I'll make sure our kid comes back to us."

And with that promise, the Guardian of Hope disappeared down his hole.

* * *

><p>A hand shook his shoulder gently but firmly, rousing the teenager from dreamland.<p>

"Sweetie, wake up."

Jack grumbled something unintelligible and shoved a pillow over his head.

The woman's voice said something he could not hear and then went quiet. Jack silently counted to twenty before he started to relax and doze again.

Something shifted at the end of his bed. A small warning bell went off in Jack's head, but it was muffled by his sleep-clouded mind.

Suddenly, all of his blankets were whipped from his bed, leaving his body to face the frigid morning air with no defenses.

The teenager curled his body into himself and clung to his pillow. He knew what came next.

Hands grabbed at the pillow and tried to wrench it away. Determined, Jack hung on; he was resolved to win this time.

The hands wrestled with Jack's own and tried to pry Jack's fingers away. No luck.

The hands released his hands and came at his exposed stomach, finding their way to all his sensitive spots.

Jack gasped out a laugh, his body jerking away from the tickling hands. He couldn't breathe!

His fingers loosened their hold on the pillow, and it was easily ripped away from him this time.

"Up! Up!" his mother commanded and proceeded to whack her son with the pillow she had won.

"I'm up!" Jack shrieked. A deep manly shriek of course.

He rolled away from the pillow. Too late, Jack realized he had rolled too far, and he promptly fell to the floor.

Mrs. Bennett laughed and threw the pillow at the heap now lying at the bottom of the bed.

"School district decided it safe enough for you lazy kids to get an education," she informed him. "Get ready. I'm taking you to school."

Jack groaned.

"Don't fall asleep again," she ordered as she left the room. "And wash your hair; you have some sort of lint in it."

The teen groaned again as a confirmation.

A few minutes later, Jack found himself standing in front of the bathroom mirror, frowning at the "lint" peppering his hair.

He swiped a hand at it, trying to see if that would get it out. It didn't.

Leaning closer to mirror, Jack fingered one of the white things and pulled.

It was a hair.

"What?" Jack asked, twisting the strand between two fingers.

He could not be going prematurely gray. For one thing, it did not run in the family, and for another, he would have noticed a long time ago that white strands flecked his dark brown hair.

Jack glanced up at the mirror again, and sure enough, the white strands were undeniably there in his hair.

Another image overlapped his reflection, and Jack suddenly had pure white hair, blue eyes, and pale skin.

"No!" Jack shouted, gripping the counter and squeezing his eyes shut. "I am Jack Bennett!"

He opened his eyes, and his reflection was back to normal except for the white dashes in his hair.

Jack was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when a pain flared up Jack's left arm. Jack looked down to where his hand clenched at the countertop and yelped. Jumping back as if stung, Jack began shaking his hands to restart the blood circulation that seemed to have stopped for a moment.

Once Jack confirmed that his hand was in no immediate danger, he dared to look back up at the counter. Frost patterns covered the surface of the counter and sink. They were beautiful, but Jack could only stare at them in horror.

His hand still hurt, so he brought it up to inspect it. A thin layer of ice covered his left hand. Cold pinched at his skin painfully, and Jack rubbed his other hand over the ice, breaking up the thin sheet of ice.

His teeth began to chatter. Turning on the hot water on the facet, Jack plunged his frozen hand under the water, and the ice dissipated.

He wrapped his hand in a towel and sat on the bathroom floor, cradling his hand.

"I'm not Jack Frost!" he shouted.

"What was that, sweetie?" his mother's voice came from outside the bathroom.

"Nothing!" Jack yelped. He cleared his throat and added more calmly, "Just not entirely awake yet."

He waited and listened, but his mother must have moved on because there was no response.

Jack looked back down at his injured hand. What was he going to do about his white hairs?

Nearly a half an hour later, Jack and James piled into their mother's car like any other day, except Jack was completely on edge.

The teenager wore his normal dark jeans and was bundled in a winter sweater. The unusual thing for him today was the additional beanie and gloves. Jack never got incredibly cold; it was one of his quirks, but today he made sure they were both firmly on.

"Are you all right, Jack?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

Jack tensed and did not look at his mother when he answered, "I'm fine. Why'd you ask?"

"You seem a little pale." She brought a hand to brush it against her son's cheek. "You're cold! I guess that's why you have the beanie and gloves today?"

Not trusting his voice, Jack nodded. He could feel his mother's suspicious gaze.

"You're not feeling sick?"

Jack shook his head. Being sick would mean getting out the thermometer. As much as he really did not want to go to school, Jack really did not want to know what the thermometer had to say about all of this.

He knew his mom wanted to press the matter, but she must have chalked it up as teenage angst because she did not say anything else as she started the car.

"It's strange that it cleared so suddenly," Mrs. Bennett commented off-handedly. "We were supposed to get a lot more, not that I'm complaining or anything."

Jack's mind flashed to his talk yesterday.

_The wind recognizes the voice of its closest companion, _the Tooth Fairy had told him.

Jack balled up his gloved hand. No! He did not have that sort of power. He didn't have _any _power.

"I'm Jack Bennett," he whispered to himself.

"What was that?" Mrs. Bennett asked.

"Nothing!" Jack said a little too quickly.

His left hand ached again, but his ignored it.

"It's all nothing."

As if to contradict him, a shiver of cold raced up Jack's spine. The teenager squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth together to quiet the chattering of his teeth

It definitely was not "nothing."

The days passed slowly, and Jack could not go one day without thinking of Tooth or having these… ice symptoms acting up.

They were small things—a frozen glass of water there, a shiver of cold there—but they were enough to drive Jack crazy.

His parents and friends were starting to notice something was up. He looked terrible from lack of sleep and frayed nerves. He barely laughed or smiled, afraid that extreme emotions would make the symptoms worse.

That was all about he could figure from his symptoms. They went out of control whenever he was upset or angry or anything other than apathetic. The other day he had apparently laughed too hard and froze his whole lunch. He went that day hungry and afraid that someone had caught him.

Even his ten-year-old brother knew something was wrong and had asked him if he was all right this morning.

Jack had brushed it off with a strained smile and lame excuse. He did not dare touch his brother in fear of hurting him. He had not frozen another human yet, but Jack was sure it was only a matter of time.

For the time being, Jack wore gloves and beanie over his increasingly white hair.

Jack sighed as he tried to figure out a way to stop whatever this was. He was playing hooky today. Sad to say, but he did not have the guts to face another school day of his friends' worry and prodding.

Later, he would not remember where he went. Jack simply let his legs take him wherever they wished. He wandered down streets, went in and out of shops, and finally wandered away from the paved roads onto dirt paths. The buildings fell away and were replaced by trees.

The Burgess Forest was a place all the local children had grown up in instead of playgrounds or arcades. The city of Burgess always made plans to develop the area, but right when the plans were to be finalized, they were mysteriously cancelled. No one ever questioned it, nor did anyone really want for any of the plans to go through.

For some unknown reason, it became an unspoken agreement among the people of Burgess to leave the little woods a wild and untouched land.

Jack found himself there now, wandering aimlessly in and out of trees.

His feet finally stopped, and he looked up at the little frozen lake.

A ghost of a laugh seemed to reverberate through the trees. Jack imagined a brown-haired boy of eight years playing in the ice and snow. In his imagination, the boy turned towards Jack, and Jack was struck by his resemblance to James.

_Remember Jamie…_

Jack shook his head as a headache teased at the corners of his mind, and the laughter and image evaporated like smoke.

A breeze tickled Jack's face, tugging him towards the lake, but Jack turned away and headed back towards the city.

Jack found himself on the streets of Burgess again and restarted his meaningless meandering.

"So this is what your human version looks like."

Jack whipped around towards the voice, a scowl already forming on his brow.

Really he should not have been so surprised, not after a visit from the Tooth Fairy herself, but very few things in his life thus far had prepared him to come face-to-face with an anthropomorphic rabbit. The rabbit was a lot closer than Jack had expected, and he almost planted his face into a chest of fur.

Jack yelped and jumped away from the towering figure. Once a couple of steps back, the teenager got a good look at what he assumed to be the Easter Bunny for the first time.

He was an imposing figure, which did not at all match those cute, little bunnies on Easter decorations. Really, the rabbit in front of him screamed warrior rather than cottontail.

The rabbit seemed to realize his current demeanor was a bit intimidating, and he hunched down closer to the ground, so that they were now eye level.

"E. Aster Bunnymund," the rabbit introduced himself. "You can call me Bunny."

The rabbit had a strong accent. Who would have thought that the Easter Bunny was Australian?

"Jack," the boy returned hesitantly.

"Yeah," the rabbit snorted. "I know."

Jack's scowl deepened at the implication of that short phrase.

"Are you all going to do this?" Jack asked. "Is Santa Claus hiding around the corner? This isn't a normal thing for you guys, right? You don't go around stalking random kids, do you?"

"Oh trust me, kid," Bunny laughed. "Ya're far from random."

"So why are you here? I already explained myself to the Tooth Fairy."

"I need ya to come with me," the rabbit said.

Jack almost burst out in hysterical laughter. Easter Bunny he might be, but Jack did not follow random people to unknown places, magical or otherwise.

"I don't think so," Jack said. "Why should I go with you? Isn't that kidnapping?"

"I'm not—I'm—Look, there's some things we need to discuss—things ya need to see," Bunny stammered.

"And you can't discuss this here because…?"

"Ya need to meet the others. There's important things goin' on that ya don't understand," Bunny explained.

"Sorry, but my parents told me not to go places with strangers."

Jack turned away, intent on leaving the conversation at that, but the rabbit's soft voice stopped him.

"Come home, Jack," the rabbit murmured, sounding momentarily vulnerable.

"I am home," Jack grounded out. "You all should just leave me alone. I may still believe in you all, but that gives you no right to invade my life."

"Don't ya find that a bit strange?" the rabbit shot back.

"That my childhood beliefs are stalking me? Yes, I find that a bit strange," Jack responded. He noticed that he was getting suspicious glances from the people sharing the street with him. Of course, the rabbit was probably invisible to them—just Jack's luck.

Jack grit his teeth and started walking again, determined to ignore the giant rabbit. Maybe it would be better to stop believing in these childish fantasies, but it was really hard to disbelieve something when it was currently grabbing at his arm.

"I wasn't talkin' about that," the rabbit said. "I'm talkin' about the fact that you can see me and still believe in all of us. Most ankle-biters lose their belief before their teenage years. The few exceptions… well, there's always somethin' special about them."

Jack reached an alley and ducked into it, away from prying eyes.

"If I knew a kangaroo stalker was going to be the price I'd pay for still believing, then I would have stopped believing a long time ago," Jack said.

"I'm the Easter Bunny," the rabbit corrected, looking more amused than annoyed.

Jack huffed; he had meant for the "kangaroo" comment to be an insult.

"Whatever," Jack replied. "Look. I think it's cool what you all do, but I'm sure that 'stalking Jack' is not in your job description. Let me believe as I want to, and leave me alone."

"If it was only ya believin', then it wouldn't be an issue, but it's more than that," Bunny almost sighed out.

Jack gave the rabbit a dark look. "This isn't about the whole Jack Frost thing? I told Tooth: I'm not him. Do you see me throwing around ice?"

His hands ached at that last thing, but he tried to push what had been going on for the past couple days aside.

"And that's what we're tryin' to fix, mate," Bunny said. "Let us help you."

"I don't need fixing, and I don't need help," Jack nearly yelled.

"Frost, this isn't just about ya!" Bunny returned. "Don't tell me ya haven't heard of the freak storms happenin' around the world."

"Don't tell me that's my fault," Jack snorted.

"It's not, but you can help. We need ya're help just as much as ya need ours," the rabbit said.

Jack hesitated. Something inside yearned to help—to be more than what he was. He mentally shook it off, getting through high school was enough for one teenager. Besides, he was very extra sure he was not this Frost character.

"I've lived my whole life in Burgess. I have a birth certificate and school records. My mom's documented every one of my birthdays with excessive amounts of pictures. My name is Jack Bennett, and there's no changing that," Jack said. "I'd like to help, but you got the wrong guy. This storm thing is way over my head."

Jack thought that should have finished it, but a furry hand caught him before he could move away.

"Magic has a strange way of workin', mate," Bunny said seriously.

"Maybe it does," he replied. "But not with me."

"Oh really," Bunny counteracted. His other hand moved faster than Jack could match and whipped off his beanie.

"Hey, give that back!" Jack shouted.

"Still think magic has nothing to do with you?" Bunny asked, extending to his full height to keep the beanie away from the teenager. The rabbit eyed the locks of white hair that streaked through Jack's normal rich brown.

"So I'm going prematurely gray. There's nothing wrong with that. I'll dye it back to brown later," Jack said, trying and failing to retrieve the hat.

"First, ya were a near full brunette only a couple days ago; ya don't get that much white in that much time naturally. Second, ya hate dyeing your hair; ya threw such a fuss when I colored it pink that one time," Bunny listed.

Jack made a frustrated noise and retorted, "First, what a stalker. Second, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jack charged the Easter Bunny once more, but the rabbit dodged him easily. The teenager could not change his momentum in time, and threw out his hands to stop himself against the wall.

Pain flared up Jack's right hand, but it was not from the impact. Frost crept up the side of building and froze his glove solid. Jack jerked back from the building in shock.

Bunny noted the frost with a sense of satisfaction. "Still want to deny tha—what's wrong, Frost?"

Jack had doubled over, clutching his right hand to his chest. The ice stung; its cold burned his skin, and his fingered tingled with a foreign sort of power. Jack ignored the rabbit and ripped off the glove as he tried desperately to warm his hand before permanent damage was done.

"Here, Frostbite. Let me see. Your human body's just not used to the power," a voice said above him.

A furry hand tried to extract the injured hand from Jack, but the teen pulled away.

"Leave me alone," Jack spat out between short gasps. "It gets worse when I'm around you."

Bunny stood back, pain written on his face. Jack did not understand that look.

"How long has it been hurtin' ya?" Bunny inquired.

"Ever since Tooth came," Jack responded. "That's why you need to leave me alone. It'll go away soon."

Jack was not sure about that last statement, but he desperately hoped it would be true. All he needed was for the magical beings to leave him alone, and then everything would go back to normal.

The rabbit shook his head. "I don't think that's how it works, Frost. It's your human side that out of whack, not those ice powers."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jack muttered.

"Do you?" Bunny countered.

Jack did not know how to answer that, so he only pursed his lips and glared at the rabbit.

"Let me take ya to North, mate," Bunny said gently. "I sense foreign magic around you. North could maybe break whatever this is."

Jack trembled as he stood still holding his hand protectively. His feet froze to the ground, unsure about which way to run.

Bunny took the lack of response as consent for him to approach the teen. The rabbit laid a warm hand on the child's shoulder, and a shudder went through the teen's body.

Jack felt himself relax under the touch, and Bunny grasped the teen's shoulder more firmly. The hold was probably supposed to be friendly, but as soon as Bunny applied more pressure to his shoulder, pain shot through Jack's body and white light exploded in the alleyway.

Bunny was thrown back as a layer of ice covered his fur.

"Jack!" Bunny called out.

Directly in front of the rabbit were spikes of ice like huge stalagmites. Behind that, Jack was huddled against the wall, eyes staring in horror at the ice.

Jack opened his mouth to deny that the ice came from his, but only a low moan escaped his lips. His body shuddered with adrenaline and pain. The burning sensation had crept up his arm and now invaded his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Bunny got to his feet, and scrambled over to Jack.

"Jack, mate. Are ya hurt?" Bunny brushed his hand against Jack's arm, and the teen flinched away.

"Don't touch me," Jack rasped. He coughed up breaths of mist; it felt like his lungs were freezing over.

Jack got unsteadily to his feet. "Don't talk to me again."

Using the remainder of his adrenaline, Jack sprinted out of the alley towards home.

The exercise eventually warmed up his body, but Jack could not stop shivering.

Reaching home, Jack skirted around him mom and headed straight for the bathroom. Behind closed doors, Jack took a deep breath and looked up at the mirror.

His hair was now completely white.

* * *

><p><strong>Answers to anonymous reviews:<strong>

**Bonca: **Does Jack meet Pitch again? Maybe… maybe not… Those are the sorts of questions that readers will have to wait to see the answer. Thanks for your review!

**Devil angel: **Yes, poor Jack. It's getting worse before it gets better… I hope you enjoyed this update! Thanks!

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	6. Chapter 6: Different Kinds of Help

**Chapter 6 – Different Kinds of Help**

* * *

><p><strong>Note: It was brought to my attention that the part where the Guardians are talking about "fading" might have been a little confusing. To clarify, it is a reference to the part in the movie where Pitch is taunting the Guardians, saying that as the children lose their belief in the Guardians, the Guardians themselves fade. So the Guardians are currently worried that with Jack not doing his job as Frost, children are losing their belief in him, and he will eventually fade (die).<strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously<strong>_

_Bunny was thrown back as a layer of ice covered his fur._

"_Jack!" Bunny called out._

_Directly in front of the rabbit were spikes of ice like huge stalagmites. Behind that, Jack was huddled against the wall, eyes staring in horror at the ice._

_Jack got unsteadily to his feet. "Don't talk to me again."_

_Using the remainder of his adrenaline, Jack sprinted out of the alley towards home. _

_Reaching home, Jack skirted around him mom and headed straight for the bathroom. Behind closed doors, Jack took a deep breath and looked up at the mirror._

_His hair was now completely white._

* * *

><p>A bottle plopped unceremoniously into Jack's lap.<p>

"One bottle of brown hair dye," Christina announced.

Jack picked it up cautiously as if he were afraid it might explode on him.

"Sun-kissed brown?" Jack asked, reading the label.

"Adds gloss and shine to your hair, bringing back your youth of yesteryears," Kyle piped up in a dramatic voice.

The other boy leaned over and whipped off Jack's beanie.

"Hey!" Jack protested, easily snatching it back.

"Come on, man," Kyle shined. "I just want a good look at it."

"I'm not some science experiment," Jack grumbled, shoving the beanie back over his white hair only for another hand to whip it off.

"Guys," Jack groaned. "I'm getting really tired of this. Just give it back."

"Oh, relax," Karla said. "You need to beanie off anyways to dye your hair."

Jack grumbled under his breath, well aware that three pairs of eyes were currently fixed on his snow-white hair.

He glanced back down at the bottle in his hands. "Do think this will work? I mean, is this the right color?"

Christina shrugged and walked over to where a picture of the four of them sat framed on her nightstand.

"It's pretty close, I think," Christina said. "It's my mom's dye, and her color's pretty close to yours."

She brought out another picture of her family and laid it next to the framed picture. The four of them crowded around the two pictures, comparing the two brunettes in the pictures.

"It might be believable," Christina said. "The only thing is that my mom uses the stuff to dye a few gray strands and darken her natural color, not cover a full head of white hair. I don't know if that means that it will turn out differently."

Jack bit his lip nervously. "Well, it has to be better than white, right? Let's just do it."

Jack popped the lid off the bottle and nearly gagged as the poignant smell immediately filled his nostrils.

"Ah crap," Kyle said helpfully. "Smells like acid. You sure you gave Jack the right stuff, Chris? We're trying to dye his hair, not burn it all off."

Christina took the bottle from Jack and gave Kyle a hard look.

"The smell's normal," Christina explained. "Here, you should probably let me do it for you."

Jack nodded, trying not to choke on the smell.

Few minutes later, they were all crammed into Christina's small bathroom that luckily was connected to her bedroom and therefore gave them the necessary privacy.

Jack squirmed in Christina's desk chair, resisting the urge to yank away the towel tied securely around his neck.

"So your hair's turning white because you were some winter spirit in your past life?" Kyle asked.

Jack scowled at Kyle in the mirror, although his eyes kept straying to where Christina was mixing the dye.

"I wasn't some winter spirit," Jack corrected.

"But you said that some anthropomorphic bunny said that you were," Kyle replied.

"He's mixed up or lying," Jack said.

Jack had spilled the whole story to his friends as soon as they had all gathered at Christina's house. So far, all Jack got was a lot of grief from Kyle about his white hair and dubious, shifty-eyed glances from them all.

"You don't believe me," he accused them.

In the mirror, he watched Kyle and Karla both cast their gazes down; Christina was focused on mixing still and gave no sign she even heard him.

"Jack," Karla began slowly. "You're telling us you talked to the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and that you can only see them—"

"Other people can see them too," Jack interjected. "If they believe in them."

Jack regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Great, now he was only confirming his insanity.

"Right," Karla conceded, although she did not sound any more convinced. "And there's this magic involved. Sorry if I don't fully believe you, Jack, but this is all sounding very incredible."

Jack switched his gaze over to Kyle in the mirror, and the other boy shrugged.

"Sorry, dude, but for once, I have to agree with Karla," Kyle said. "Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny? That's just not possible."

Jack looked away and clenched his hands under the towel. He could not really blame them; sometimes, even he wondered if this all was not some horrific dream.

"Well, I believe you."

Jack jerked his head up and stared in surprise at Christina who was now facing towards him, bowl of dye in hand.

"Y—you do?" Jack asked.

"My mom's a hairstylist," Christina said simply, pointing at Jack's white locks. "You definitely did not have white hair the other day so it can't be premature grays, and that's not bleached. It's too healthy to be bleached."

There was a moment of silence where Jack just stared at Christina in awe. His heart warmed with the knowledge that she believed so readily.

"You sure about that?" Jack said with forced laugh. He met her eyes, testing her faith in him.

"I know that you're not lying," Christina answered. "You're eyes would be laughing if you were lying."

Jack had no idea what that meant, but Karla seemed to because she was nodding her head slowly.

"Okay, let's put aside the wackiness of it all and just say yes, you Jack Bennett are telling the truth and it all really happened," Karla announced, a weird look on her face. "What do we do about it?"

"I don't know," Jack muttered. "Keep my hair dyed for now, and find a way to control the stupid ice powers."

"What kind of ice powers?" Kyle asked, a little more eager now that they were leaving behind the topic of mythological creatures.

"Mostly freezing stuff," Jack said. "Nothing really special."

"Nothing special, he says," Kyle snorted.

"Tilt your head back," Christina said. "Tell me if something doesn't feel right."

"Doesn't feel right?"

"If your scalp starts burning," she clarified.

Jack made a face and did as he was told.

"Tell you what," Kyle said. "You show me these ice powers of yours and might consider believing you for reals-ies."

"I already told you. I can't control them," Jack huffed.

Christina was running a comb through his hair, and he tried to focus on that instead of the cold creeping up his spine.

"Aw, not even a icicle?" Kyle goaded. "Just a little snow?"

"Kyle, shut it!" Jack shouted.

Christina dropped the comb, and Karla gave a sharp yelp.

Jack did not know what was wrong at first because his vision went momentarily dark, and he felt like he was spinning on one of those carnival rides. His sides ached, and he gave a small groan.

"Jack! Jack!"

The teenager blinked, and his vision cleared to show him the world on its side. He realized that he was still in the chair, but that he was slumped far to the left and that Kyle was supporting him so he did not topple over.

Christina had a hand on his shoulder and was calling his name.

He was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed his breath forming little ice clouds in front of him. Feeling returned to his body, and Jack realized that the room's temperature was noticeably colder. He looked around and did not see any frost, but all of his friends were visibly shivering.

"What?" Jack rasped.

He struggled to sit right side up. Kyle squeezed his friend's shoulder.

"Sorry," Jack said. "That was me, wasn't it?"

No one answered him, but no one needed to.

Finally, Kyle was the one to break the silence. "I believe you, dude."

The declaration should have made him feel better. It didn't.

"And only a moment ago you were all Mister Skeptical," Jack joked, making his voice light, but every one of the room's occupants heard the challenge underlying Jack's tone.

"What can I say? Seeing is believing," Kyle threw back.

"I'm going to turn up the heater," Christina said before disappearing from the room.

"Are you all right, Jack?" Karla asked.

Jack winced as he adjusted himself in his seat. "Fine. It just hurts when my powers act up."

Kyle nodded as if he knew what Jack was talking about and waggled a finger in front Jack's face. "Well then, no more showing off for now, Frosty," Kyle ordered in a faux army commander's voice.

"Don't call me that," Jack groaned. It was too close to what the rabbit had called him. "But thanks."

Kyle grinned impishly at him, but it did not quite reach his eyes.

Christina returned and continued her work on Jack's hair.

"So as we where saying, what do we do?" Karla spoke up.

"Should we tell someone?" Christina wondered.

"No!" Jack said too quickly.

"But if these powers are hurting you…" Karla began.

"They're hurting you?" Christina asked, accidently tugging Jack's hair a little too hard.

"I'm not telling anyone and becoming some science experiment," Jack insisted, ignoring Christina's question.

Christina frowned and tugged on Jack's hair not so on accident this time.

"Oh, people would love to get your hands on you," Kyle agreed.

"Quit joking around," Karla said, slapping Kyle.

"I'm not," Kyle said, slapping her back.

"You're parents then?" Christina suggested.

Jack shook his head until Christina told him to stay still.

"Tell my parents what?" Jack asked.

"About your powers," Karla said.

"And how I might not be their son?" Jack shot back. "That I'm supposed to be some winter spirit instead? That who I am might be a lie?"

"I thought you didn't believe the rabbit," Karla snapped back.

"I don't," Jack confirmed. "But I can't explain one thing without explaining the other. No, we're not telling my parents."

He glared at each of his friends in turn.

Kyle raised his hands in surrender. "No argument here, dude. Adults are weird."

"We're not going to get very fair if we don't talk to someone," Christina pointed out. "We don't have any idea about what's going on in the first place."

"Well, I can do some research through the almighty Internet," Kyle volunteered. "But just a prediction, I don't think that's going to get us any more than myths and stuff."

"Why don't you try and talk to the bunny," Karla suggested.

Jack shook his head rigorously, earning another reprimand from Christina.

"I don't want to talk to them again. Besides, my powers get worse when they're around, and I'm trying to keep them under control," Jack said.

"But they might be the only ones who know anything," Karla argued. "What if we talked to them for you?"

Jack considered it and then sighed.

"But they can only be seen if the person believes in them." He looked up at his friends. "Can you honestly say that you really believe they exist?"

One by one, each of them shook their heads, eliciting another sigh from Jack.

"We'll figure this out, Jack," Christina assured. "That's why we're here."

"On the subject of figuring things out, found anything, Kyle?" Karla asked.

Kyle looked up from where he was tapping away on his phone.

"What?" he asked.

"You are searching for 'Jack Frost' and not playing some stupid game, are you?" Karla growled out.

"Oh, jeez chill," Kyle defended. He paused and gave Jack a smirk. "No pun intended."

Jack just groaned.

"Yes, I'm looking up on Jack Frost," Kyle continued. "But, well, it's like I said earlier. It's all pretty jumbled with stuff about Norse legends, Father Frost, and Old Man Winter. And there's so much stuff with Jack Frost in movies and books. Some sources do say that some believe Jack Frost is a youthful boy who brings the winter chill and plays games." Kyle looked up at Jack and eyed him as if weighing that description with what he saw before him. "I mean that does sound like you minus the winter part, but everything else…"

Jack shook his head. He really should not have expected much. "Thanks anyways, Kyle," he murmured.

"We'll figure it out," Christina promised. "For now, let's just worry about getting your hair back to normal."

The next hour or so consisted of Christina washing, dyeing, and rewashing Jack's hair. All the while, Kyle made helpful comments of how Jack was such an old man, and Karla helpfully punched Kyle in the stomach a few times.

Jack nervously waited for Christina to finish. There was no going back now.

"Done," Christina announced.

Jack gripped the sides of the chair anxiously. "How does it look?" he asked.

"Not bad," Christina said, not so very convincingly.

"Not _bad?"_ Jack repeated.

Finally mustering up enough courage, Jack twisted around in his seat and tried not to wince.

It was a step up from being white, but still seemed off. Jack could not tell if it was the color or the way his hair shone in the bathroom light, but something did not seem all that natural about his hair.

"I'm thinking sun-kissed brown isn't quite Jack's color," Kyle offered. His words trailed into a coughing fit, but Jack saw a smile behind Kyle's hands.

"It'll do for now," Christina decided. She handed him his beanie. "It'll keep most suspicions away, but to be safe you should probably where this. I'll try to see if I can find a better dye for you than my mom's.

"Thanks," Jack sighed.

"So what now?" Karla asked.

Jack shrugged. "What else can I do?"

"Talk to your parents," Christina suggested again.

Jack was about to shoot down the suggestion for the second time, but he hesitated.

"Maybe I could," Jack murmured. "The Tooth Fairy said something weird before she left me. I think my dad might know something about it."

"What?" Christina prompted.

Jack looked up at his friends, beanie clenched between his two hands. "'Remember Jamie.'"

* * *

><p>It was probably the best situation for something as messy as this one.<p>

His mom had taken (dragged) James off to do some mandatory clothes shopping much to the younger boy's disgust and displeasure.

That left Jack home alone with his father for some normal everyday conversations.

Jack was currently hiding behind a corner, peeking out every now and then at his father who sat on the couch with a newspaper in hand.

For just one moment, Jack allowed himself to imagine himself as some immortal winter spirit—a free elemental with no home and no family. The idea left a bitter taste in his mouth. It was almost enough to make Jack go back up to his room and forget the whole thing, but he needed answers—answers his father might possess.

"Hey, Dad?" Jack finally said, coming out from behind the corner.

Mr. Bennett looked up from his newspaper and set it down. Jack must have had a really bad poker face because he had his father's full-undivided attention in a matter of seconds.

"What's up, Jack?" his father asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Jack said a little too quickly. He winced and then forced himself to take a deep breath. "It's nothing. I just needed to ask you about our family history for a project at school."

"Which class?"

Jack's mind froze; he had not thought that far when he made up this faux excuse.

"History," Jack blurted out. "We, uh, have an extra credit assignment to writing a paper on family's involvement with U.S. history."

Mr. Bennett nodded his head slowly, which Jack hope meant that he was buying the excuse.

"There's not much to tell—nothing too exciting," Mr. Bennett began. "The Bennett family is one of the oldest families in Burgess. The most we can boast in our family history is being one of the founding families for this town. We've had family members involved in just about every war the U.S. has ever fought, but we weren't much of the war hero types."

"What about recent family history?" Jack asked.

Mr. Bennett thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope. Like I said, it's all pretty boring. Your Grandpa Maurice was a businessman and Grandpa J was an author of children's books. You might want to ask your mom about this. Her side is much more interesting."

Jack fixated on one name and did not hear the last sentence. "Grandpa J as in Jamie, right?"

"Yeah," Mr. Bennett confirmed. "My grandfather on my dad's side, and your great-grandfather."

"What was he like?" Jack asked, forgetting his attempts to be discreet.

"Is this part of your assignment?" Mr. Bennett questioned.

Jack realized his mistake too late and stammered, "No, I was just curious since I didn't know him and you like to quote him all the time."

"That I do," Mr. Bennett chuckled. "He was—in my humble opinion—the best grandfather ever. He spoiled us kids rotten, and your great-grandmother liked to call him a child at heart. He was a great storyteller, which worked out well considering his job. His books were—still are—quite popular."

"What kind of stories did he tell?"

"All kinds," Mr. Bennett remembered. "Mostly fantasies. He had the wildest imagination, but his favorite stories were myths and legends."

Mr. Bennett paused as if getting lost in the past, but Jack was getting impatient.

"Like?" the teen prompted.

"You know. I've told some of them to you," Mr. Bennett answered. "Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost, those kind of characters. He liked to imagine stories of what they did when they were not doing their normal jobs."

There was a buzzing in Jack's ears at the last name his father mentioned, and he barely got the next words out.

"What did Grandpa J say about Jack Frost?"

His father was now giving him a weird look, but Jack hardly cared as he silently urged his father to answer.

"He said Jack Frost was a winter spirit who spread fun with his blizzards. Jack Frost was kind and exciting during a snowball fight and fierce and deadly during a fight against evil," Mr. Bennett said. "He called Jack Frost one of his greatest friends."

"The way he describes Frost… It makes him sound like he was a real person," Jack commented.

"To Grandpa J, Jack Frost was real," Mr. Bennett agreed. "He talked about all his characters as if they were real. Kids loved him for it, and it gave magic to his stories."

Jack took it all in, but he did not see anything particularly useful. So his great-grandfather liked to talk about Jack Frost, but how did that help him?

"He used to love playing with you. Do you remember that?"

Startled by the random question, Jack shook his head.

"He loved making you laugh," Mr. Bennett reminisced with a smile.

"When did he die?" Jack asked.

Mr. Bennett's smile slowly melted away.

"When you were eight, I think. You were there during the funeral. Cried your eyes out."

Jack searched his memory for anything of Grandpa J. A bright smile and laugh warmed Jack's body, chasing away the persistent cold he had been feeling for the past few days. It was a momentary relief though, for Jack suddenly remembered staring down at a large, wooden box. He remembered that hollow feeling in his heart and a splitting headache from that day.

"Do we have a copy of his books?" Jack asked.

"Of course! What kind of Bennett would I be if I didn't have Grandpa J's books?" Mr. Bennett got up from his seat and shuffled around the shelf in the living room.

"Here," Mr. Bennett said as he handed Jack a stack of books. There were about ten pictures books and six chapter books. "I read most of these to you when you were younger."

"He wrote all of these?" Jack asked.

"And more," Mr. Bennett chuckled. "I have more in my office. When you want those, let me know."

Jack thanked his father and proceeded to make his escape with his bundle of books.

"Jack?" Mr. Bennett's voice stopped his son in his tracks.

"Yeah, Dad?"

Mr. Bennett looked him square his eyes, making him squirm.

"Do you really have a history assignment about family history?"

Jack's spine felt like it was frozen over.

"Yeah," he lied.

Mr. Bennett held his gaze for a few more seconds, and Jack tried not to look like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Okay," Mr. Bennett complied. "Whatever your reason for bringing this up, I'm glad I got to talk to you about Grandpa J. He was… really special. Be sure to ask your mom about your assignment."

Jack nodded his head and swallowed up a sigh of relief.

In the safety of his room, Jack spread the books out on his already messy floor. He picked up a book with an illustration of a white-haired teen.

The teen held a wooden staff in one hand and floated above a winter scene.

Jack quickly flipped through the picture book, and each page held a picture of the same teen.

Jack tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat, but he could not deny it; the teen in the picture book looked just like him.

* * *

><p>Jack could not sleep.<p>

It was the dreams again.

The dreams were not unfamiliar ones. He had had them ever since he was a little kid. They used to come every night during his childhood, then dwindled to once a week, and finally showed up every few months until Jack almost forgot about them. Now though, they were back, and they seemed to have come with a vengeance.

The dreams were not unpleasant dreams, certainly not nightmares, but they disturbed him nonetheless. The dreams contained flashes of scenes that felt like memories half-remembered. During his dreams, he felt light and free; he could remember laughing in those dreams and the feeling of warmth as if he was surrounded by the people he loved.

No, the dreams were definitely not nightmares—quite the opposite. What disturbed him though was that every time he had those dreams, he woke up with tears on his cheeks and no memory of crying.

It was a mystery he never solved, and one he never thought he needed to solve until they began again after his meeting with the Tooth Fairy.

Jack lay back down onto his bed, trying to get comfortable. Lucky for him it was the weekend, and he could afford to stay up, but still…

He looked over to where his clock flashed 2:13 a.m.

Sighing, Jack rolled over again and relaxed his body.

Jack's thoughts blurred into incoherent half ideas until they disappeared into darkness.

His bed seemed to swallow him, and when he opened his eyes again, he was flying high above the clouds.

Jack relished the feeling of the wind against his cheeks and tousling his hair. He leaned forward, and he accelerated. Huge fluffy clouds followed him like sheep after their shepherd.

He came to his destination and waved his hands. Following his cue, the clouds released their baggage, and flurries of snow fell onto the village below.

Cries of joy and excitement came up from every child, and Jack laughed right along with them.

Jack's laughs turned into gasps as waves of nostalgia hit him again and again. Relentless and strong, the waves took away Jack's breath away, and he felt himself fall.

He could stop the falling, he knew that. All he had to do was call his friend, but what was his friend's name?

He could still hear the children laughing below, but it only served to make the nostalgia more poignant.

He missed it. He missed them.

His friend… His friends… Where were they?

Jack hit the ground and bolted up right.

He saw darkness and knew that he was still in his room.

Groaning, Jack lay back down, realizing he had drifted off again.

He checked the clock and it read 3:46 a.m. this time.

Fingers crept up to his face, and sure enough, they were covered in tears. Jack wiped furiously at them, ashamed.

He could still hear the laughter in his ears, and Jack knew he was not going to sleep any more tonight.

Five minutes later, Jack was trudging through the snow, trying to get away. From what, he did not know. His feet brought him to an abandoned playground.

The playground reminded him of the children in his dream, but he was too weary to go further so he sank down into one of the swings.

"Having trouble sleeping?"

Jack started and flew out of his seat.

"Oh," the unknown voice chuckled. "Did I scare you? My apologies."

A dark man emerged from the darkness, smiling down at the teen.

Jack could only stare at the man with huge, round eyes. The air around them vibrated with some sort of energy, and Jack instinctively _pushed. _

The man hesitated and then resumed his approach, smiling.

"My this is interesting," the man murmured. "You still have something, don't you? Well, it won't do you much good as I came here to finish what I started."

The man shifted, and Jack saw a weapon in the man's hand.

The sight of the blade gave his legs life again, and he scrambled back.

"I—I don't know what—"

"No, I suppose you don't," the man interrupted. He tilted his head as he observed Jack. "Magic has a funny way of working. It did not give me the result I had initially wanted, but it won't matter. I may have had to wait an extra 17 years for my revenge, but I'm a patient person, and the end result is still acceptable."

Jack only grew more confused, but he was certain now that this man was one of those mythical characters.

"Go away," Jack managed. "I already told you guys I won't nothing to do with you."

"Oh Jack, you're afraid, aren't you?" the man laughed. "Perhaps this is better. You like this and so pathetic. Powerless."

The man fixed Jack with his gold eyes, and Jack found he could not breathe.

The teenager collapsed to his knees as his legs gave out beneath him; a pressure pressed on him from all sides. The only movement he could manage was the uncontrollable shaking.

The man's laughter grew as he raised his weapon—a scythe.

Those gold eyes gleamed with malicious glee. "I got you, Jack," the man gloated. "I win."

Jack stared straight up into his soon-to-be killer's face.

"Pitch," Jack whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>So this is a warning to all my readers (who btw are awesome and thanks for reading and reviewing), but anyways, in about a week, I will be off to an abroad program where Internet is limited and I am unsure of the schedule. I want to keep my updates to the usual once a week thing, but I can't promise that since there are many variables. As such, this is my explanation to you all if I somehow fail to update on my regular schedule. <strong>

**Answers to anonymous reviews: **

**WEast: **I noticed how much Jack's story parallels Elsa's too, which is weird since I wrote this, but I didn't notice it until I was editing the chapter. As for what are they going to do… we'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for the review!

**Devil angel: **Thanks so much (again)! You're reviews always make me smile. Stay awesome!

**Guest: **Well thank you very much random person! Here's the update!

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	7. Chapter 7: Disturbing Revelations

**Chapter 7 – Disturbing Revelations**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously<strong>_

_The teenager collapsed to his knees as his legs gave out beneath him; a pressure pressed on him from all sides. The only movement he could manage was the uncontrollable shaking. _

_The man's laughter grew as he raised his weapon—a scythe. _

_Those gold eyes gleamed with malicious glee. "I got you, Jack," the man gloated. "I win."_

* * *

><p>"Pitch," Jack whispered.<p>

The man hesitated, a glint of interest in his eyes.

"What did you say?" the man asked, his weapon still poised to strike.

Jack did not answer. It was hard to focus with headache forming behind his eyes. Jack was not even sure he remembered what he had just said. The teenager swayed as the pressure became too much for his body.

The man snorted. "Weak. That's what you have become, Jack Frost. I almost wish you were your true self to see what you've become."

Without another word, the man positioned the weapon again. Jack knew it was pointed towards his heart, but he did not have the presence of mind to do anything about it.

The scythe came down.

His vision went black as soon as the blade touched his flesh. Agony ripped through his body, robbing him of all his senses expect for that _pain. _

Jack's lips parted, but no sound came out.

He knew nothing for a moment, and when he became aware again, he found himself crumpled on his side. Jack still could not see, but he could feel. Oh, he could feel.

His body was on fire. Why did the strike not kill him?

Jack finally screamed as the pain ate at his flesh. The strike should have killed him. Why wasn't he dead yet? Why was there still pain?

Alone in his dark world, Jack could only listen.

The man was yelling, and another voice answered it. They were arguing it seemed like.

Jack tried to call for help, but all he could manage was a strangled croak.

The voices kept arguing, and Jack wanted to shout at them to stop and finish the job. Just kill him already!

The sound of metal hitting metal overlaid the yelling voices until finally, mercifully, they stopped.

Rapid footsteps approached Jack, and the boy whimpered.

"Frostbite! Oi Frost, look at me," Jack heard.

He could not see. He was blind! Didn't the person know that?

"Jack! Hey mate, can you hear me?"

Something soft touched Jack's chest, and Jack cried out in pain.

The voice swore.

The person would not stop touching him, prodding him and hurting him. Jack could only sob.

Jack heard ripping and realized the person was tearing his jacket off him.

"Hold on, Frost! Crikey! We just got you back. You can't leave us now, you bloody idiot!" The voice had tears in it.

The person was cradling him now, pressing fabric into his side.

"Hold on, Frost! Stay with me!"

Jack fell into oblivion.

* * *

><p>"Should have kept better eye on him… Almost too late…"<p>

"You did your best…"

"…Best not good enough…"

"…fix him up…"

"Will do best… boy… very serious… but missed heart…"

"Pitch…"

"…didn't die…"

"…die…"

* * *

><p>Jack cried out.<p>

Something was squeezing his sides; he couldn't breathe! Jack sat up in order to free himself. That was a mistake.

Pain ripped across his left side, starting on his left shoulder and moving down towards his hip. Panicked, Jack grabbed at the pain and found white bandages bound tightly to his abdomen. His chest was bare except for the bandages, but thankfully he still wore his black jeans from the night before.

Propping himself up against the wall, Jack took stock on his surroundings. He was in a bed in a room painted a light blue. The furniture was sparse: a bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a desk with a chair. Looking more closely, Jack could see intricate patterns carved into the wooden furniture, but Jack was not too interested in that.

One fact did stick out about this place though. He did not recognize it.

Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed. He had in mind to check the dresser for some sort of shirt, but stopped when pain flared in his side again. Jack's breath came out like a hiss, and he clutched at the wound.

The dark man, Jack remembered. Some freak with a weapon had attacked him last night.

The door to the room slammed open, and Jack yelped in surprise.

"I heard you yell," Jack's least favorite rabbit said. Was that a boomerang in the rabbit's hand?

"Get out!" Jack yelled. The teenager grabbed the nearest thing—a pillow—and threw it.

Jack grit his teeth as another spasm of pain shot through his body.

The rabbit warrior did not even try to defend himself and just let the pillow hit him harmlessly.

Bunny watched the pillow fall to the ground and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the teenager.

"Really, mate?" Bunny scoffed. "I just saved your sorry little arse, and this is my thanks?"

"I'm really not in the mood," Jack grounded out, still holding his side. "I told you to leave me alone."

"And leave you to Pitch? I don't think so, mate," Bunny snorted.

"Pitch?"

"Pitch Black, Boogeyman. The drongo who took a swing at ya last night," Bunny explained. "Apparently, he's the one who's behind all this."

Bunny made a vague gesture in Jack's direction.

"Can we not talk about that," Jack muttered. He was tired of all this Jack Frost stuff.

Bunny's eyes flicked upwards.

"Ya tried to dye your hair," Bunny noted.

Jack grunted, wishing the rabbit would leave.

"Hate to tell ya, but it didn't work so well," Bunny said.

Jack gave the rabbit a skeptical look, and the rabbit in turn only jerked his chin towards the dresser mirror.

The teenager considered just laying back down and dreaming away this nightmare, but his curiosity got the best of him.

Carefully, Jack made his way towards the dresser mirror.

"Crap," Jack hissed.

White streaks were clearly visible in his hair again.

"The bottle said it was long-lasting," Jack complained as he ran a hand through his hair.

Strangely enough, the action seemed to make his hair whiter, and when Jack inspected his hand, he saw brown smudges on his palm. Jack was pretty sure hair dye was not supposed to do that.

"Might want to get your money back then," Bunny said snidely. "Human products don't work so well on people like us."

Jack did not like how the rabbit included him in the "us."

"I'm not one of you," Jack muttered. "Where am I anyways?"

"Your room," Bunny supplied simply.

"I'm pretty sure I know what my room looks like, and this isn't it," Jack snorted.

Bunny gave an exasperated sigh, "Your room in North's workshop."

"North what?"

The rabbit flinched as if the question offended him. "Not what, who. Ya know. Santa? Kris Kringle? The jolly, ol' bloke himself."

A shock went through Jack's system. It could not be real.

Jack stumbled towards the door, pushing past the rabbit.

"Oi, ya dill. Where do ya think your goin'?" Bunny made a move to grab him, but despite his injuries, Jack managed to evade him.

He limped through the halls with the oversized rabbit trailing after him. Turning a corner, Jack came into an open room and—

Jack sucked in a breath, ignoring the ache in his chest and limped a little faster until he reached the railing. Underneath him, Santa's workshop spread down several stories. Huge, furry creatures ran around the tables stacked high with projects and avoided little red pyramids that could be seen dashing in and out of the organized chaos.

It was a child's wonderland.

"Wow," Jack breathed. His eyes darted around, trying to take it all in at once.

"Quite the sight, ain't it?" Bunny agreed. "Ya should see my place though. It's twice the shocker."

Momentarily forgetting his dislike for the rabbit, Jack pointed down and asked, "Who are the furry guys?"

"North's workers—the yetis." Bunny gave Jack a sidelong glance and added, "Your quite good friends with them. Ya would spend hours with them—testing toys, wreaking havoc—the normal deal. It would at least keep ya amused and out of my fur for a while."

Jack shook his head. "Stop reminding me of memories I don't have."

Bunny opened his mouth respond, but a loud booming voice cut him off.

"There he is!"

Jack found himself enveloped in two wide arms and promptly squished against red fabric.

"North, ya dill! That's not a—"

"Jack, m'boy!" the voice above him crowed, and the arms squeezed.

Black fuzzy dots invaded Jack's vision, and all the boy could do was choke. He needed to escape, but his body went numb with pain.

"Breathe," he managed to choke out. "Need to…"

Someone shouted, and the pressure disappeared, leaving Jack with nothing supporting his weight.

He did not remember hitting the ground, but the next thing he was able to see was the ceiling and a green and blue blur darting around the corners of his vision.

"Oh, Jack! Are you okay? North didn't mean it. Sweetie, just breathe."

Jack blinked, and Tooth's face came into focus, all scrunched with worry as she rambled.

"I'm okay," he wheezed.

Jack propped himself up, and Tooth grabbed him, lending him a shoulder to lean on.

"Sandy, bring over a chair," Tooth called out.

Jack felt himself being lowered into a chair, and he gratefully sank into it.

"Sorry, Jack," the booming Russian voice said.

Jack looked up and saw one of the biggest men he had even seen lumbering up to him. With the white beard and red color scheme, there was no mistaking who this was.

The large man's entire front was covered with frost, but he did not seem to notice or care.

Bunny though observed it all through narrowed eyes, casting a pointed look in Jack's direction.

"I forgot about injuries in excitement of seeing you," Santa Claus stated.

Jack touched the bandages wrapped around his chest, glad for something else to focus on rather than the lingering chill on his skin. "How long was I out?" Jack asked.

"Bah, just a day," Santa answered.

"A _day!_" Jack repeated.

"Would have been longer—_much_ longer—if you went to a normal hospital," Bunny snorted. "Be grateful to North here. He's the one who patched ya up."

Jack swallowed the nasty comment that formed on the tip of his tongue. He instead eyed the man in red and mumbled, "Thanks."

North grinned widely and raised a hand as if to slap him on the back, but thought better of it. The man nodded instead and said, "Is nothing, Jack."

Jack eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something. "My parents," Jack gasped.

He stumbled to his feet, and a short man in gold held up his hands as if he were calming a horse. The golden man laid a comforting, but firm hand on Jack and guided him back into his seat.

"Took care of that, mate," Bunny said.

The rabbit tossed Jack something, but the teen was too distracted by the pain in his side to try and catch it. It instead hit him in on his shoulder.

"Ow," Jack hissed.

The golden man gave Bunny a reproachful glare. The rabbit in turn had the decency to look slightly ashamed and picked up to the object to give Jack.

"My phone?" Jack asked as he took the object from the rabbit.

"I texted your mom. Said you were doing a project at Kyle's house for the whole weekend," Bunny explained. "I hope that's believable. I just picked the name you last texted."

Jack stared incredulously at the rabbit. "My phone's locked. How'd you get in?"

Bunny shrugged. "Easy enough. You used 1-7-1-2 as your code."

"How is that easy?" Jack questioned. "Those were random numbers I chose."

The rabbit snorted. "Random, eh? 1712 is the year Jack Frost was born."

Jack's cheeks burned, and he vowed to change the password as soon as possible.

The golden man laid a hand on Jack's leg, gaining the boy's attention.

Gold sand flew into front of the boy's eyes and formed a Band-Aid and then a question mark.

"I'm fine. I just need to get home as soon as…" Jack trailed off as he stared at the golden man. Looking from the sand to the man, Jack murmured. "You… You're the Sandman."

Jack mind blanked on him for a moment as he raised his head to observe the people surrounding him.

The Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Clause. They were all here.

The Tooth Fairy flew up to him. "You needn't be afraid, Jack," she assured. "We're just here to help you."

"I don't… I'm not scared," Jack replied softly. His mind eventually registered the other sentence, and he jerked away from the Tooth Fairy, saying, "And I don't need help. Just take me home."

"Oh, no you don't, Frostbite," Bunny said, standing imposingly in front of Jack.

Jack stood despite Sandy's silent protests.

"Oh yeah, Cottontail?" Jack shot back. "You're just going to keep me here?"

Bunny made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. He opened his mouth to reply, but North interrupted him.

"How 'bout we make deal?" North turned towards Jack and stepped in front of Bunny to block him from view. "There are things we wish to discuss with you, Jack. All we want is for you to listen. You listen, and we promise to take you home. Fair deal, yes?"

"How's that fair when you abducted me?" Jack asked.

"Well aren't ya an ungrateful dingo," Bunny snorted somewhere from behind North. "I saved your sorry little butt. Remember? North here has a much better deal than the one I would have given ya. It's that least ya could do, for the trouble ya put me through."

Flashing back to his last memory before waking up, Jack recalled the furry arms that cradled him like a child and the soft voice that soothed his fears. The teenager gritted his teeth, hating that he owed the rabbit one.

"Fine, I'll listen, but I go home as soon as that's done with," Jack said. Unbidden, a shiver went up Jack's spine as if protesting the prospect of spending another second with these people.

"Most kids would die for a chance to be with us," Bunny remarked, marching out from behind North so that he now stood nose to nose with Jack.

"Well, I'm not most kids," Jack returned.

"Clearly," Bunny mocked. "I wouldn't be surprised if ya were dropped on your head when ya were born."

"Jack! Bunny! Enough!" Tooth said.

The two silenced at the fairy queen's voice.

The Tooth Fairy glared at the two of them as she hovered just above their heads, and then for some reason, she smiled and then laughed. Her laughter spread to the other Guardians, while Jack just looked on in confusion.

"Only a few minutes together, and already at each other's necks. Crikey, we're hopeless," Bunny chuckled.

"Is therapeutic, no?" North asked.

Bunny grunted in affirmation.

Jack scowled, feeling like he was being left out of some great inside joke.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Tooth said, catching sight of the teen's expression. "It's just that you've only been here a little while, and it's just so much more lively with you around already."

"Yeah well, don't get used to it," Jack muttered, hating that look of hope that he saw in all their eyes. He could not give them what they wanted, so the sooner he got out of here, the better.

They relocated to what looked like a dining room with a huge, oak table. Jack hobbled over to a chair and sank into it with much relief.

Something soft hit his shoulder, and Jack looked over to see Tooth offering him a blanket. He swallowed his guilt for his previous harsh words and took it from her, draping it around his bare shoulders.

"So you know about Jack Frost from Bunny and Tooth, yes? Which is you of course," North began.

"Of course," Jack muttered without any conviction.

"Well, Jack Frost and Guardians, us, have powerful enemy," North continued.

"Pitch," Jack supplied. "The guy who attacked me last night."

North nodded.

"Ya remember much of last night?" Bunny probed.

Jack considered the question for a second. He saw the dark man clearly in his mind, but besides the pain…

"I don't really… I remember glimpses," Jack murmured.

Bunny nodded, his eyes narrowed in either suspicion or concern. Jack could not tell which.

"Anyways, Jack Frost was the reason Pitch lost the Battle of Burgess about a century ago," Tooth said. "It's no surprise that Pitch's biggest grudge is with him."

"Which is why he attacked me last night? Because I look like Jack Frost?" Jack asked.

"Of all the stubborn fools—he attacked you because you _are _Jack Frost, ya dill!" Bunny said.

"Sorry, if I don't believe," Jack spat back. "But if you haven't noticed I'm human. Jack Frost is this spirit guy." Jack put a hand over his beating heart. "I'm definitely alive."

"We didn't understand it either," Tooth said in a placating tone. "That is until we started dressing your wounds."

Golden sand formed over Sandy's head into a weird blob. Jack did not know what to make of it.

"That mark on your right shoulder, Jack. What is it?" Tooth asked.

Jack looked down self-consciously at the shoulder that wasn't covered in bandages. Sure enough, a mark exactly like Sandy's golden blob stretched across his skin.

"My birthmark? I've always had it. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," North answered seriously.

He laid something in front of Jack. It was a huge, old book opened to a certain page with strange pictures and writing in a language Jack did not recognize. Jack could not make sense of any of it, but one thing did stand out.

"It's my birthmark," Jack murmured, running his hands over some writing in the book.

Looking at them in the book rather than on his shoulder, Jack could see now that they kind of resembled some sort of old runes like the kind he remembered seeing on a picture of the Rosetta Stone.

"Why would you have a picture of my birthmark?" Jack asked, confused.

Everyone looked to North for an explanation.

"This book was written many, many centuries ago," North told them. "Is from my teacher. He was last great wizard, and of course had many spells. Some perhaps which should have been destroyed ages ago."

North nodded towards the book, his eyes dark.

"That spell was meant to control elemental spirits. My teacher meant it to be a last safety measure for an out-of-control elemental. Never for something like this."

North waved his hand at Jack.

Jack's eyes widened as he saw what North meant.

"You think that Pitch used that spell on Jack Frost and turned him into me?" Jack whispered, his voice trembling.

"Not think—know," Bunny corrected. "That mark ya have is perfectly copied from the book. There's no doubt that ya have a spell on ya."

"So you've seen this before? Spirits turning into humans?" Jack turned back to North.

The big man looked uncomfortable when he answered, "Here is where situation gets… sticky. For normal elemental, spell takes away their power, and they revert to something of their lost power. Like spring is flower or something.

But you—Jack Frost was different. First, he was Guardian—much stronger than ordinary spirit. Second, Jack was not born like other elementals. He was human in past life, changed by the Moon to be Jack Frost."

"Which is why we think you are the way you are," Tooth picked up. "The spell is meant to force the spirit into a kind of default mode, and Jack Frost's default was his human side."

"Which you think is me," Jack stated.

"Not think—_know_," Bunny said again. "Ya can't ignore the evidence, mate. Your appearance, your presence, that mark on your shoulder, your emerging powers: they all point to ya bein' Jack Frost."

Jack was silent for a moment. His side still ached, but he became much more aware of a sharp pain in his head and heart as well.

Gasping, Jack placed a hand against his forehead, grabbing at his hair.

"Jack, we're not telling you this to hurt you," Tooth tried to sooth. Her voice only served to grate Jack's nerves.

"Then why are you telling me this?" Jack asked. "Why couldn't you just leave me alone? I was happy before you all came along."

The Guardians shared sad looks, and Tooth answered for them, "We did consider that. We did not want to hurt you, and if that meant losing you, we were willing to do that."

"But?" Jack prompted when she trailed off.

Tooth sighed. "But there are several things. For one, you are a Guardian, and we are responsible for keeping you accountable to your duties. Also as Bunny told you, the storms across the world are not getting any better. The world needs you to control them. But… the real reason we decided to reach out to you is because of the nature of Guardians."

Tooth nearly choked on the last sentence and looked up to her fellow Guardians for help.

"Guardians are blessed with much power," North continued for her. "But we also are linked to the children who we protect. If they lose their faith in us, we fade. We are not sure how that works for you as you are now, but we fear… that some day before your time ends as human you will fade."

Jack refused to look at the Guardians. His hand gripped harder at the strands of his hair, and the other squeezed the armrest of his chair as if to keep him grounded.

"You… You're saying that I'm dying?" Jack croaked.

"Well, I wouldn't—" Bunny began.

"That's what this 'fading' is," Jack snapped. He looked up, and they saw tears that the teen was trying desperately to keep from falling. "Isn't it?"

Their silence was answer enough.

"Then take away the Guardianship," Jack demanded. "I don't want it anymore."

"Are you saying ya believe your Jack Frost then?" Bunny asked.

"No!" Jack snapped. He grimaced and then added more softly, "I don't know. I just—I can't be dying…"

Tooth shared glances with her fellow Guardians and then answered for all of them, "The thing is no one's ever been stripped of the Guardianship. There's never been a need to, and the vow… it's one of permanence. I'm sorry, Jack, but I believe what is done is done."

Gripping his fists into tight balls, Jack gave a sharp cry that the Guardians wasn't sure was frustration, anger, or sadness.

"Jack," Tooth murmured gently.

She laid a hand on his arm, but he jerked it away.

Tooth eyes widened as frost coated her fingertips, but she withdrew her hand without any comment.

"Take me home," Jack rasped. He turned his face away, so it was now shadowed by his multi-colored hair.

"Jack," Tooth said again a little more anxiously.

"That was our deal," Jack grounded out. "I kept my end of it. I'm done listening. Now take me home."

"After what Pitch tried to do to ya?"

"Jack, don't you want to talk about this?"

"We don't want you to get hurt, my boy."

They kept talking over each other, making Jack's headache worsen. Jack wanted to run, scream, and cry all at the same time, but he seemed to be frozen in his seat.

A clear ringing sound cut through the Guardians voices like a harsh reprimand, and gradually, they all quieted.

Jack looked up and saw the Sandman place a bell onto the table with a satisfied, but grim expression on his face.

The golden man floated over to Jack, and Jack could not help but reach out and grasp him hand as if it were his last anchor of hope.

"Please take me home," Jack begged.

Sandy nodded, a sad smile on his lips.

He stroked Jack's hand, and his touch soothed Jack's fears.

The Sandman reached up and touched Jack's forehead.

Jack's vision went black, and he was floating in a dreamless world.

When he opened his eyes again, he was alone, staring up at his bedroom ceiling with tears streaking down his cheeks.

* * *

><p><strong>A hundred reviews (shout out to for being the 100<strong>**th****)! A huge thank you to all my readers! :D **

**Answers to anonymous reviews:**

**WEast: **Thanks for another review! I know poor Jack is needed in both places, but we'll just have to wait and see what he decides.

**Bonca: **Some of your questions should have been answered in this chapter, but to how Jack remembered Pitch, I'm kinda chalking that one up as a memory fluke. Jack did and didn't remember Pitch as his present and past selves are conflicting. Yes, it's confusing… haha Nice try, but I'm not a fast enough writer to get out a chapter in a day, but I did manage to get this chapter out in a week :) Thanks!

**Devil angel: **I will be gone for a whole school semester, so several months… It's possible the study abroad will not affect my updates at all, but we shall see. Thanks again!

**Guest: **I'm guessing that you are the same person who left two reviews… In which case, thank you for both! I'm glad you like the OCs.

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	8. Chapter 8: From Bad to Worse

**Chapter 8 – From Bad to Worse**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously<strong>_

"_Guardians are blessed with much power," North continued. "But we also are linked to the children who we protect. If they lose their faith in us, we fade. We are not sure how that works for you as you are now, but we fear… that some day before your time ends as human you will fade."_

_Jack refused to look at the Guardians. His hand gripped harder at the strands of his hair, and the other squeezed the armrest of his chair as if to keep him grounded. _

"_You… You're saying that I'm dying?" Jack croaked._

* * *

><p><strong>17 years in the past<strong>

Winds swept through the town, weaving and dancing in and out of the crowds.

The snow soon followed through the path carved out by the wind.

Adults cursed the cold and tugged their jackets tighter around their bodies, but the children saw and listened to the storm with clear eyes and ears.

There was laughter in the air.

"Snow day!"

The white-haired teen sped up the side of a building before letting his body fall with the pull of gravity. Laughter escaped the boy's lips, and the wind pulled at his clothes and hair. At the last second, the boy pulled up and wove through the street traffic.

Frost patterns followed in his wake, and laughter echoed his own.

Around the street, kids all had their heads upturned, and little gloved hands waving at the sky. Adults would dismiss it for childish glee in the first snow, but the children smiled their secret smiles and kept waving at the white-haired teen.

The boy laughed as he came to rest on the edge of an overhang. Frost gathered on the stone beneath his feet, and Jack was sure to make it his best work yet.

Children shouted with joy as patterns of animals carved themselves into the frost and then leapt to life under their winter prince's command.

Cries went up from the children as they bounded after the frost animals. The boy listened to them babble in their strange language. He knew none of their foreign tongue (another one to ask Tooth about), but one thing did translate.

"Jack Frost! Jack Frost!" the children cheered.

Grinning goofily, Jack swept into a dramatic bow, which was met with more cheers.

"Now how 'bout that snow fight?" Jack called down.

The children understood him just as much as he understood them, but with their shared language of laughter, the most epic snowball fight commenced. Even some adults got swept up into it much to their confusion and eventual delight.

Later, the spirit and humans alike would find themselves collapsed in the new piles of snow with no clear winner, but many smiling faces.

The sun now dipped low in the sky, and the adults began to gather their children, herding them towards home and beds.

"Jackie!"

Jack turned in time to see a little girl barrel into him. He swayed at the impact, but managed to keep his balance.

A shiver of pleasure went up Jack's spine, and he once again marveled at the warmth of an embrace. No matter how many times it happened, it never lost its magic.

Jack leaned down and returned the hug.

She murmured something to him in her language, and Jack gave her an extra squeeze, assuming it was some sort of thanks.

"Now off to bed, kiddo," Jack said, patting her back. "Sandman will be here soon, and you don't want to miss that!"

The girl nodded like she understood and ran off to a woman who was calling to her.

With a final wave, Jack turned his attention to his long time friend. "Hey wind! How about a visit's to Tooth's? It's been a while since we saw her last."

In answer, the wind swept up its winter child, and together they sped to the Tooth Palace with Jack's snow flurries and fun following after them.

"Faster, Wind!" Jack called, eager to his friend as soon as possible.

The wind complied with a sharp whistle, and Jack sped along.

The world had now become an indistinct blur, so Jack did not see the attack coming.

Something dark darted around his blind spot, and the thing hit him along the side of his cheek. Jack cried out, coming to an abrupt stop. The thing scraped across his skin like sandpaper.

Bringing a hand up to his face, Jack gingerly cradled his cheek, and when he drew the hand back, he saw blood staining his fingertips.

A horse's whinny called out a challenge.

"Pitch," Jack directed at the man sitting astride the horse.

"Frost," the man sneered back.

"Getting a bit cocky challenging a Guardian in the state your in?" Jack called down to the Nightmare King.

"Getting a bit cocky to think that the title will give you any sort of protection?" Pitch scoffed.

Jack charged the man on the horse, swinging his staff in a wide arch. Several nightmares appeared from the shadows and charged the winter child, but Jack barely even paused give them a second glance as he easily mowed them down.

Jack hurtled into Pitch, freezing the steed beneath him. Bringing up a leg, Jack knocked Pitch back with a jarring kick.

Pitch picked himself up from the ground and began dusting himself as if Jack's fury was of no major concern.

"A bit wound up, aren't we Frost?" the Nightmare King said evenly.

"Oh don't give me that," Jack returned. "Wherever you are, trouble's on its way. And besides, you were the one to attack first, remember?"

Pitch nodded thoughtfully as if the memory did just resurface.

"Yes, that's right," Pitch murmured. "You destroyed my fear with your _fun._"

With that last word, Pitch raised both of his arms and a wave of nightmare sand rose like a great tsunami.

Jack readied his staff and faced the onslaught head-on.

It was not much of a fight really. The Nightmare King's show was impressive for sure, but it was definitely more bark than bite. Jack batted aside the nightmare sand with ease.

Pitch sent wave after wave of sand at Jack, but the past decades of delightful belief for the Guardians had weakened Pitch's power considerably.

"Is that all you have?" Jack mocked as he threw another snowball at a nightmare that froze upon impact. Jack laughed and prepared another snowball in his hand.

Something slammed into Jack's shoulder _hard_, and the frost child fell to the ground with a cry.

Instinctively, Jack's staff went up, and he heard a satisfying grunt of pain from his assailant.

Stumbling to his feet, Jack readied his staff in front of him, but his right shoulder _burned—_literally. Jack winced as his right arm fell to his side uselessly, and the smell of burning flesh made him want to gag.

Despite the injury though, Jack had a lot of energy left.

Concentrating his power into his staff, Jack swung his staff around in a wide circle, and energy shot out and froze the remaining nightmares.

"You lose, Pitch," Jack said, leveling his staff at the dark man.

Pitch stood alone and with ice creeping up his side from Jack's earlier attack, but disturbingly, a gleeful grin stretched unnaturally across his face.

"Merely pawns," Pitch sneered, waving a dismissive hand at the frozen nightmares. "I've already got the king."

"What?" Jack asked.

He took a step forward, intent on marching up to the other man to maybe force some answers out of him, but suddenly his legs could no longer hold his weight. He fell to his knees.

His shoulder began throbbing again, and Jack gasped when he finally looked over to check the wound. His hoodie was burned away at his shoulder and the skin underneath looked a sickly shade of gray. Most disturbing of all though was the red mark that glowed angrily up at him.

"What is—what—" Jack's words were cut short by a cry of pain, and he had to use his left arm to brace himself against the ground as a spasm of pain ripped through his body.

"What did you do?" Jack finally managed to gasp.

A hand roughly grabbed Jack by the chin and forced his face up so he was looking directly into the Nightmare King's face. Ice continued to creep up Pitch's side, but he hardly seemed to care as he grinned maliciously down at Jack.

"I brought a little something special for you, Jack," Pitch explained. "You're an elemental. I think it's about time for you to know your rightful place."

Somehow, Jack scrapped enough strength to bring his staff up again and catch Pitch right in the face.

The Nightmare King reeled back, spitting curses at the boy.

Jack used his staff to hoist himself up.

"The Guardians won't fall to you," Jack whispered through clenched teeth. "Especially not with you so weak."

"The Guardians," Pitch laughed. "Jack, all I want is you."

For once in his life, Jack felt cold as he felt the world spin around him. Oxygen was violently yanked out of his lounges, and Jack stumbled backwards.

"Wind," Jack mouthed. The word did not really leave his mouth, but it was enough. The wind cradled Jack and swept him away with the Nightmare's cackling following after him.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

"Well, that went well," Bunny grumbled.

The Guardians sat around the oak table in North's workshop, now missing one of their numbers. Again.

"What else could we do?" Tooth murmured softly.

She stared into her cup of untouched hot chocolate that had gone cold long ago.

"I don't know," Bunny growled. "How about kept him here, make him listen? Why did ya have to take him back?"

He directed the last question at the golden man who, for once, seemed very uninterested in his cup of eggnog.

Sensing that Bunny's anger was now directed at him, Sandy looked over at his friend and gave him a long, hard look.

The meaning was clear: _I want Jack Frost back as much as anyone, but I will not hurt the Bennett boy in the process of doing so. _

Bunny snorted, but backed off.

For a man who said absolutely nothing, Sandy could fit a lot of words in one look. Must have been the centuries of practice.

"What do ya think about all this, North? That spell on Jack's body… Do ya think it could be undone?" Bunny asked instead of what was still boiling around in his head.

North stroked his beard, his eyes fixed on the open book of magic.

"Is hard to say. Like I said before, spell is powerful and perhaps should have been destroyed long ago. There has never been need to make reverse spell, but I am good with magic, no?" North's eyes twinkled at the little boast, but it disappeared quickly as the man sobered. "But might take time to do. There is no way to test this magic, so I must be careful."

"So until then the kid will need a bodyguard," Bunny said.

"Assuming Jack will let us break the spell," Tooth pointed out.

Bunny acknowledged her comment with an unhappy grunt.

"I'll head over to Burgess now, and relieve Baby Tooth of her watch," Bunny announced.

Tooth shook her head, saying, "No. Keep Baby Tooth with you. She could act as a messenger in case of an emergency."

"Thanks," Bunny said.

Bunny got up, ready to once again keep an eye on a certain frost child-turned-human when North's voice stopped him.

"There is one slight problem with breaking spell," North said. The toymaker's eyes creased with worry as he met his fellow Guardians' gazes. "Where is Jack's staff?"

* * *

><p>Jack was wearing a blue hoodie when he woke up.<p>

Jack did not own a blue hoodie.

When he had woken up after his disaster of a day, Jack found his wounds rewrapped and himself dressed in a plain white t-shirt and blue hoodie.

Thankfully, the pain was now reduced to a dull ache, but the sight of the blue hoodie only served to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

He almost ripped the hoodie from his body in a fit, but he hesitated. He could not deny how comfortable he felt in it like a child with its favorite blanket.

Jack studied his reflection in his bedroom mirror. The hoodie definitely did not look bad. It fit him well as if made specifically made for him, which Jack suspected it was. No, it definitely did not look bad, but it was the other boy's hoodie.

And Jack hated the visual reminder that he… that he…

With a sudden realization, Jack ran his fingers through his hair and found it completely brown again. It was almost natural—way better than Christina's dye job—and when Jack took his hand away there were no brown streaks on his palm.

At least that was one good thing to come from the rather unfortunate encounter with the Guardians.

A knock on his door startled him, and it took him a moment to respond.

"Yeah?" Jack called out.

"Jack," James's muffled voice came from behind the door. "You're walking me to school today remember? Mom can't drive us."

Jack cursed under his breath, and grabbed at his backpack. No time for an outfit change. Whether he liked the hoodie or not, Jack was now stuck with it for the time being.

"Coming," Jack said.

James was already making his way downstairs by the time Jack opened his door. The teenage bounded down the stairs and grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen before meeting his little brother at the door.

"Sorry, bud. I had… a hard time getting up this morning," Jack said.

James grinned widely and hopped out into the cold morning air.

"Look at all this snow, Jack!" James exclaimed, gesturing to the white expanse.

Jack grimaced; the sight did not bring him the normal joy it normally did.

"You were gone all weekend, so we couldn't have snowball fight like we always do," James pouted. "But we can do it later, right?"

Jack gave his brother a weak smile, but didn't reply.

James frowned at his brother's lack of response.

The teenager tried to ignore his brother's suspicious looks and made a show of eating his granola bar.

The younger boy leaned in close to Jack and whispered conspiratorially, "Is it your time of the month?"

_That_ got a response out of Jack.

"What?" Jack sputtered, almost choking on his breakfast. "Where did you hear that?"

The boy shrugged, his brows scrunched in confusion. "I heard Dad say that once when Mom snapped at him," James told him innocently.

Jack managed a watery laugh. "Hey, bud. That's only for girls, and don't ever say that to a girl unless you want to get slapped."

"What does it mean?" James asked, tilting his head.

Jack fumbled with his breakfast, looking into James's wide, innocent brown eyes.

"It means don't piss off any girl who seems moodier than usual," Jack said.

"That's not an answer," James's pouted. "I could always Google it if you don't tell me."

Jack gave an inward sigh. When did his little brother get so smart?

"Ask Dad if you really want to know," Jack suggested. "That would be a hundred times better than looking it up on the Internet. Trust me on this one, okay bud?"

James considered that for a second before nodding.

Jack did not say anything else, and James took the hint that Jack did not feel like talking. Not about to let his older brother's mood get him down, James scampered ahead, stomping on snow and jumping into snowdrifts.

"Cute kid," a voice with an Australian voice commented.

Jack sighed. Really he was no longer surprised.

"I guess it's too much to hope that you guys will leave me alone," Jack said to the rabbit squatting in the snow.

Bunny got up and matched Jack's pace, still crouched on all fours.

"Not on your nelly," the rabbit snorted. "Not after what Pitch attempted. I'll be keepin' a closer eye on ya from now on. Don't worry though. I'll try to keep out of your personal life as much as possible."

"Which is why you are talking to me right now," Jack scoffed.

"Ya looked lonely," the rabbit said. "And no one's around yet to see."

"James could look back at any second."

"I'll be gone by then. He won't get a glimpse of me."

Jack trudged on. As much as the rabbit still annoyed him, his talk with the Guardians had awakened a sadness in him, and Jack could not help but be a little grateful for the rabbit's warm presence.

"You really miss Jack, don't you? Your Jack, I mean," the teenager speculated.

The rabbit was quiet for ten steps.

"That annoying little bugger with his infernal cold and jokes?" Bunny scoffed. "Yeah, of course I miss him."

"I'm sorry," Jack said, not exactly sure what he was apologizing for.

"Mate," Bunny sighed, but he cut himself off when James suddenly whipped around back towards Jack.

Jack wondered what the rabbit was about to say, but when he turned to look at the rabbit, there was no one there.

"Come on, Jack," James said. "At this rate, we'll both be late."

Jack grinned down at his brother.

"Oh yeah?" he returned. "Wanna race?"

He did not wait for James's reply and took off. The wind whipped at his face, and Jack relished its cold touch.

"Jack!" James's voice laughed behind him.

The teenager slowed down and allowed for his brother to catch up.

As quickly as the wind tore away his worries, they returned, and Jack tried not to look so upset as he watched James jog up to him.

James grinned up at him, and Jack tried to return it.

"Hey, James?" Jack said.

"Yes?"

"What if I went away for college? Like somewhere out of town?" Jack asked quietly.

Surprised, James replied, "I thought you were thinking of staying here for college."

"I was, bud," Jack agreed. "But a… a teacher suggested a school outside of the state for me. He said it might be a good fit for me. I just wanted to know what you thought."

"Is that what you've been moping about?"

"I am not moping!"

"Right," James drawled.

Seriously, when had his little brother gotten so smart?

James was quiet for a moment, seriously considering the idea, and then answered, "I'd miss you, but you would visit, right?"

"Of course, bud," Jack promised with a twinge of guilt. Do Guardians get vacation days?

James broke out into a grin. "Then it's okay! If your teacher said it's good for you, you should go."

Jack's guilt built up tenfold as he stared into the trusting eyes of his little brother. How could he make promises he wasn't sure he could keep?

"Don't write me off just yet," Jack said instead of what was really weighing on his mind. He forced a smile. "I still got a while before I even have to apply anywhere, so things might change."

James gave him a huge smile, and Jack felt like the worst big brother in the world.

Jack dropped his brother off at his school and headed off towards his own. The Easter Bunny never showed up after that. Jack expected that there were too many kids out and about on the main road for the rabbit to walk about so openly. Jack was not sure if he was glad or disappointed about that.

Slipping into his first class, Jack settled into his normal corner. It wasn't long until Kyle, Karla, and Christina joined him.

"So what gives, man?" Kyle whined. "I kept texting you all weekend, but you never responded."

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but another voice cut him off.

"This is study hall. Take out work from one of your classes and get to work," the teacher upfront announced, her voice monotone as if reading from a script.

The students quieted long enough for her to give her daily announcement and then went right back to talking.

"Sorry, Kyle," Jack responded. "I was out somewhere with no service."

"Where's that?" Kyle questioned.

"The North Pole," Jack grumbled.

Kyle burst out laughing, ignoring the annoyed looks from the teacher.

Karla elbowed Kyle in the side.

"Ow," he complained. He looked back at Jack and noticed no one else was laughing. "Oh, you weren't joking."

"No, I wasn't," Jack said. He hated the conflicted looks his friends kept giving him like they were trying to figure out the best way to tell him he was crazy. "I'm not making this up guys."

"Okay," Karla said in a placating but not fully convinced way. "What did you do at the North Pole?"

"I met Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and the Sandman after they saved me from an attack from the Boogeyman," Jack answered bluntly, past caring how stupid he sounded.

"Okay," Karla said slowly. She looked one second away from calling the teacher over.

"Look," Jack sighed. He lifted up the hoodie and shirt and presented his still bandaged abdomen.

"Oh my gosh!" Christina shrieked.

The teacher cleared her throat loudly, but no one cared to pay attention.

Christina made a motion to touch the bandages, but her fingers stopped an inch from its white surface. Jack felt a sort of satisfaction at the mixed looks of horror and realization on his friends' faces.

"Jack, what happened?" Christina asked.

"Like I said, I got attacked by the Boogeyman." Jack let down his hoodie and recounted the events of the weekend to his friends.

His friends were quiet for a moment, taking it all in.

"It's all so…" Christina started.

"…Unbelievable," Karla agreed.

"I'm not lying or crazy," Jack defended himself.

"No. No, I don't think you are," Christina reassured him. Her eyes drifted down to his stomach, and her eyes became sad. "What now?"

"I…" Jack wasn't sure. No, he was sure, but he was afraid to voice it aloud.

"Jack," Christina murmured. She took his hand. "You're thinking of going to them aren't you?"

Jack hung his head, and squeezed desperately at her hand.

"I don't know what else to do," Jack said. He had not yet told them the little detail of him possibly dying, but he decided to hold onto that for another conversation.

"Why go to them at all?" Kyle asked.

Jack snorted, "I apparently have a dark spirit person who wants me dead. I can't live always looking behind me, and I highly doubt that there are security systems built for the kind of protection."

"I bet Santa Claus could whip something up for you," Kyle suggested.

"I don't think so," Jack said. "Plus I can't live my life locked in a house either."

Kyle opened his mouth to answer, but before he could utter a word…

"You'll all be spending your time locked in detention if you all don't get out work to do in this _study hall_."

Four pairs of eyes swiveled to where the teacher stood over them with her arms crossed.

"Hullo, Mrs. Baker." Kyle smiled winningly at her. "I must say you look much prettier when you're not all frown-y and imposing."

"And why do you suspect I am all 'frown-y and imposing?'" Mrs. Baker questioned.

"Aw, come on, Teach," Kyle practically whined. "It's just study hall. Look everyone else it talking."

Kyle gestured at the rest of the class who were indeed talking more than studying.

"At the moment, _Bartholomew_, I am concerned with you and your posse. I shall deal with the rest of the rabble when I see fit," Mrs. Baker said icily.

Kyle's smile froze on his face, and the rest of his expression became brittle.

"We'll be quiet," Kyle promised behind clenched teeth.

Mrs. Baker gave one last nod before moving past their group.

The four of them quickly got out some work to put on a show of productivity.

"She's had it out for me since day one," Kyle growled after a minute of silence. "And why did she have to go and call me that."

"Well, it is your name," Karla sighed.

"My _dad_ is Bartholomew," Kyle griped. "I'm Kyle. Everyone knows that."

"Well it might be kind of confusing since all your records do say Bartholomew K. Wheeler," Christina reasoned.

"Okay, so all I have to do it write 'Kyle' somewhere so she won't forget it," Kyle mused. "How about her car? In big, fat red lettering."

"Vandalizing with your own signature?" Karla snorted. "Not your brightest scheme to date."

"Or maybe," Kyle continued as if he did not hear Karla. "I could sneak the surprise I was saving for Brittney into her desk."

"That little snowball contraption of yours?" Karla hissed. "I don't think that improve Mrs. Baker's impression of you."

"Sorry to break up this incredibly interesting conversation about Kyle's identity crisis, and not to sound narcissistic and all, but can we focus one problem at a time; particularly _mine,_" Jack whispered sarcastically.

His three friends shared a look that he could not decipher although he was pretty sure that he did not like what it implied.

"Hate to tell you, amigo, but I'm drawing a blank in the ideas department," Kyle whispered back.

"We'll figure this out later when we're not… you know." Christina cast a glance at Mrs. Baker who had decided that another group of students required a stern lecture.

Jack tried not to feel bad as his friends went back to dutifully staring at their unfinished work, and did not speak to him again.

It was Jack's next class when everything went from bad to worse.

First of all, none of his friends were in the class, so there was no one to gripe with or throw wads of paper at. And second of all, his more… magical qualities started acting up again. At least, Jack was pretty sure this had to do with magic.

The stupidest thing about it? It happened during role call.

"Jack Bennett."

"Here," Jack called out automatically, raising his hand.

The teacher paused the mandatory few seconds to allow the student to respond before repeating, "Jack?"

"Here," Jack said a little louder.

The teacher looked up this time, eyes zeroing in on Jack's normal seat, but when Jack's eyes met the teacher's, something about the teacher's eyes seemed… unfocused.

"Is Jack not here today?" the Mr. Mackay asked.

"I'm right here," Jack nearly yelled, jumping out of his seat.

Mr. Mackay startled, his gaze flickering back to Jack's seat.

For a moment, Jack panicked. His mouth went dry as Mr. Mackay studied Jack's desk for a few horrible, silent seconds.

Then, Mr. Mackay's eyes focused on Jack, and he frowned in confusion.

"Sorry, Jack," Mr. Mackay apologized. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me. I didn't see you there."

"So your eyes _and_ your ears aren't working properly," Jack muttered as he sat back down heavily.

The teacher riffled through the rest of the names before picking up on the next chapter of their studies, but Jack hardly paid any attention.

In his mind, Jack kept replaying the whole incident.

The teacher did not see him. How could he miss him?

Jack was only in the second row back and slightly off center from the teacher's line of vision, but it wasn't like he was completely hidden.

And then there was the matter of the teacher not even hearing him.

A now familiar chill crept up Jack's spine, and he bit back a groan.

Jack tried to suppress his shivering, but for once, his heart was not really into fighting against the chill because surprisingly enough, Jack had bigger problems.

For a moment, his teacher could not see him.

For a moment, he had been _invisible. _

And out of all the crazy things that had happened so far, this one scared him the most.

* * *

><p>Jack blew off his schoolwork for the night. It was not like he would be able to concentrate on it anyways.<p>

After a rather awkward dinner of avoiding concerned questions and glances from various members of his family, Jack locked himself inside his room with the stack of his Grandpa J's books.

He grabbed the illustrated Jack Frost book, but had done so a little too quickly.

The book slipped out of its dust cover and hit the ground with a soft thump.

Jack winced as he bent down to retrieve the book. His father had made it very clear that he valued his grandfather's books and probably would not appreciate any damage done to them.

Jack was carefully inspecting the book to see if had been scratched up in any way when something bright pink caught his eye.

He peeled off the pink sticky note that had been previously hidden underneath the front cover, and nearly dropped the book again when he caught sight of the name at the top.

He forced himself to read the neatly written note.

_Dear Jack,  
>You trusted me with your heart. It is safe beneath the ice.<br>Jamie_

* * *

><p><strong>Answers to anonymous reviews: <strong>

**Guest: **Here's your more! I'm glad you're enjoying it and thanks for the review!

**Devil Angel: **Thanks for your review! I'm glad you're still enjoying this story.

**~playing-in-the-mud**


	9. Chapter 9 In Which Everything Goes Wrong

**Chapter 9 – In Which Everything Goes Wrong**

* * *

><p><strong>I went traveling on my program, so to cut down on weight, I did not bring my computer with me, which is why I present this chapter to you a week later than usual. So the next chapter is finally here and soon we shall get to the real action…<strong>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Previously<strong>_

_Dear Jack,  
>You trusted me with your heart. It is safe beneath the ice.<br>Jamie_

* * *

><p><strong>17 years in the past<strong>

The battle with Pitch had nearly sapped all of his strength. Not to mention that the mark on his shoulder still felt like it was eating away at his skin. Jack could barely keep himself aloft on the winds.

The journey was long and hard; Jack was not even sure where the Wind was taking him, but Jack trusted his long time companion to guide him. Jack had only strength enough to keep his grip on his staff.

After drifting in and out of consciousness for several hours, Jack felt himself being deposited on soft ground. The pain was overwhelming now. Jack gripped his staff as tightly as he could and labored through each breath.

Fingers scraped at the ground beneath him, and Jack almost gave out a sob when he realized the Wind had brought him home.

"Thanks," Jack rasped to his friend. He turned his head to one side, and sure enough, Jack could see the lake, unfrozen in this time of year, but comforting nonetheless.

A spasm of pain shuttered through Jack's entire body, and Jack bit back a cry of pain.

_Wait, wait, wait, _the Wind whispered as it ruffled his hair gently. _Help. Will find help._

"Wait! Don't leave," Jack called out, but the Wind was already gone.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut as if trying to ward off the fear that stole over his heart. The Wind would be back, Jack assured himself, but every breath felt thicker than the last as if he was breathing smoke rather than air, and Jack wondered if he would black out before the Wind came back.

"Jack!"

The boy's eyes snapped open, the breath catching in the back of his throat. That was a mistake as he immediately began coughing when he body protested its lack of oxygen.

"Jack!" the voice said again.

Arms encircled Jack, and then the winter child found himself propped up in someone's lap.

"Hey, Jack. Can you hear me? It's me."

And so it was. Over the years, Jack had heard that voice young and high with innocence, then breaking with pubescent embarrassment, and finally deep and resonating with gained wisdom. Yet some things never change, Jack thought as he looked up into the face of his first believer.

"Jamie," Jack slurred.

"Yeah, it's me," the man confirmed. Jamie, now an old man, was forever a child at heart. And for that, Jack was eternally grateful.

"Oh gosh, what is that?" Jamie gasped.

Jack's head lolled to one side to see what Jamie was looking at, and saw the angry red, glowing mark still on his shoulder.

"Dunno," Jack managed to answer. "It's probably really bad for my health."

Jamie shifted underneath Jack, and the teen realized Jamie was dragging him towards the lake.

"Yunno, you're pretty strong for an old guy," Jack coughed out. "What are ya now? 78? 79?"

"Shut up, Jack, and tell me what's wrong," Jamie demanded.

"Do I shut up or tell you what's wrong? Kinda hard to do both, yunno?" Jack joked.

Jamie just frowned at Jack's antics.

They reached the lake's edge, and Jamie cupped water into his hands and poured it over Jack's shoulder.

Jack bit his lower lip, unsure if the water's touch was soothing or excruciating. His body felt both hot and cold at the same time, which could not be good for a winter spirit.

"Pitch," Jack finally rasped. "Attacked. Put that thing on me. Don't know what it does."

Jamie poured another handful of water on Jack, and this time, there was no question about what Jack's body was feeling.

Jack screamed.

Vaguely, Jack was aware of Jamie holding him and asking him what was wrong, but it was only a minor detail in a world made of pain. Heat spread out from the mark on Jack's shoulder, eating away at his flesh, his powers, his cold… It kept eating away at him, destroying his life, his essence. Jack knew suddenly that this fire inside of him would not stop until it had consumed everything, and all he could do was wait until the end.

Jack lay limply in his friend's arms, his only remaining hope being the fact that in death he would have no more pain. The fire ate away at his life until it just stopped…

Well, "stopped" was not quite the right word because Jack could still feel the mark's magic stripping away at his life force, but it seemed to skirt around one part of his being.

Bringing a shaky hand up to where Jack knew a human heart would be, Jack internally searched for what part of him that was still untouched.

His fingers tingled when it brushed against his chest, and it took Jack a moment to realize that it was still cold.

It started off as a low chuckle and then built into a choked laughs until it finally became a bought of hysterical giggles.

Jamie gripped Jack's feverish body, while he looked on in horrified confusion.

"It's okay," Jack gasped out when his laughter had calmed down a bit. "It's going to be okay."

"Don't say that," Jamie whispered. "Not when you're—"

"I'm not dying," Jack cut him off.

"You're not?"

Jack laughed again. "No. Pitch is going to be pissed off when he realizes this didn't work."

"Jack you're too hot. We need to get you to the North Pole or something. If we don't, you'll—"

"I already told ya. I'm not dying," Jack said, resolute. "I've died once, remember? I know what dying feels like. This isn't dying."

"Then what's happening?"

"I don't know."

Jamie looked annoyed now. Jack wanted to laugh again, but his earlier episode had taken a good chunk of strength out of him.

"I'm not dying," Jack repeated. "But I don't think I'll be around for a while either."

"How do you know all this if you don't know what's going on?" Jamie asked.

"Whatever that mark is… It's trying to destroy me, I think, but it can't touch this." Jack tapped his chest. A pulse of cold energy responded briefly before curling up into itself like a cat getting ready for a long nap.

"Your… heart?" Jamie said.

"No," Jack coughed. "My center. It's not for Pitch to take."

"Jack, I'm still not getting what you're saying."

"Don't worry. I don't get it either. Just… just know that I'll be okay. Believe me, Jamie," Jack murmured. His eyes were closing. His eyelids were too heavy now to keep open.

"Of course, I believe in you," Jamie said simply. There was no hesitation in his voice—only simple belief.

Jack smiled. He knew there was a reason he liked this guy so much.

"If you don't mind doing one more favor," Jack whispered. He coughed when even that short sentence was too much for his deteriorating vocal chords. Groaning, he weakly lifted his hand that still clutched his staff.

He was blind now, so he swung his hand around to where he thought Jamie was. A hand clasped his own. Jack wiggled his hand out from underneath the other one, and let go of his one true possession from this life and the last.

"I'll take care of it," Jack heard Jamie promise. "It'll be here when you need it."

Jack felt the cold in his chest coil into an even tighter ball and release something like a sigh of tired anticipation.

With that promise ringing in his ears, Jack let go, and he fell.

This time, the wind was not there to catch him.

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

Jack was having a no good, very bad, awful day.

It had started at school where most of his problems seemed to be spawning from nowadays.

Jack was currently sitting in his math class. Nothing unusual about it except that behind Jack's bored expression, he was quietly stewing the tiny detail about him possibly being Jack Frost.

"Would you like the answer the question on the board, Jack?" his teacher asked pointedly, interrupting his silent identity crisis.

Jack raised his head groggily to stare uncomprehendingly at the math problem proudly displayed on the white board.

"Not really," Jack muttered. He had a bad night of sleepless tossing and turning and the occasional snippet of those weird dreams.

Unfortunately, the teacher seemed to have sharp ears today.

"Then why come to school at all, Mr. Bennett, if you are in such a disagreeable mood?" the teacher said.

"That is a very good question," Jack returned sardonically. He was pass caring. "Why make us learn things we don't care about?"

The teacher's mouth became a thin, unhappy line, while the rest of the class looked on in tense silence.

And that's were everything went wrong.

In his sleep-deprived, snarky state, Jack forgot his number one rule he had established for this past week: do not get overly emotional.

The flash of irrational anger came too quickly to be controlled, and Jack did not know he was doing until it was too late.

"I don't see the point of any of this!" Jack exclaimed even though he was no longer talking about math problems.

He slammed a hand down on the desk, and Jack narrowed his eyes in challenge as he saw the teacher ready a reprimand.

Before the teacher could utter a sound though, the girl behind Jack screamed and jumped out of her seat. Several other students near Jack shot up too with surprised cries, and Jack followed their example in confused numbness.

There was a few seconds of baffled mutterings before someone announced, "It's ice!"

Jack finally looked and saw the wall his desk was shoved up against was completely covered in ice. It took Jack a moment to realize that the wall was not the only thing covered in cold layer of whiteness.

The girl who had first screamed clutched at her arm and started sobbing. Her friends gathered around her and began examining her arm.

"The ice… I think she's got frostbite," one of the friends finally announced.

The teacher nodded to the door. "Get her to the nurse's office. Quickly now!"

The girl was ushered towards the door, while the students muttered disconcertedly.

"Where did the ice come from?"

"The window?"

"But it's closed."

"Is this someone's idea of a joke?"

Jack brought his arms up to his sides and realized his jacket was covered in frost. Looking over himself, Jack found himself relatively unharmed other then a shiver going through his body, but the girl on the other hand…

Jack could still hear the sobbing echoing down the hallway.

"Jack, are you okay?"

The Bennett boy jumped and stared dumbly at one of his classmates.

The boy with glasses noted Jack's frost-covered body in one glance and said, "Do you need to go the nurse too?"

"I—I think so," Jack stammered.

"Go then," the teacher ordered, her mind no longer on math problems. "Anyone else hurt?"

The students shook their heads.

"We will find out who is responsible," the teacher announced, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I do not tolerate pranks of any kind."

Jack did not hear anything else as he fled out the door and ran down the hallway, the opposite direction from the nurse.

The music room would not be in use since all those classes were in the early morning. Jack ducked in quickly and found a dusty corner to collapse in. Bringing his knees up to his face, Jack curled up into a ball and shut out the rest of the world.

It was Kyle who eventually found him.

That was not much of a surprise since Kyle was the one who has known him the longest. The redhead poked his head into the music room, noted Jack huddled in the corner, and disappeared out the door only to come back a few minutes later with Christina and Karla in tow.

"Jack, we heard what happened," Christina murmured.

"I hurt someone," Jack spoke brokenly into his knees.

"I heard it wasn't too serious," Christina offered.

Jack tried to find comfort in that. He couldn't.

"No one knows it was you," Karla said, changing the subject. "Most people actually think it was Kyle even though he wasn't there."

"I'll take the blow for you, dude," Kyle joked half-heartedly.

Jack finally looked up at his friends. "It doesn't matter if they find out or not. I can't do this any more."

"What are you saying?" Christina asked, her eyes worried.

Jack nearly choked on his next words. "I think I'm going to go the Guardians. Have them help me figure this out. If it means I have to become Jack Frost, then fine. I can't live with hurting people, and that's what's going to keep happening if I stay."

None of his friends argued immediately, which told Jack two things. One, they did not completely disagree, and two, they did not have any better ideas.

Jack stood, and his friends followed suit. He released a heavy breath, and felt slightly better after it.

"That's it then," Jack said. "Guys, I want to—"

"Hold on," Kyle interrupted. His head was down when he began speaking. Something Jack did not recognize on Kyle flashed across his face, but before Jack could identify it, it was gone. When Kyle raised his head, his ridiculous grin was on his face again. "There's one thing we have to do first."

"And what's that?" Karla asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"There is going to be a four-person party at my house, and you're all invited!" Kyle proclaimed.

"_That_ is your great plan?" Karla spat.

"We can't! It's a weekday," Christina protested at the same time.

"Just say that we have a project," Kyle told Christina. "Say it's a really important project that requires you to spend a night at my house."

"And this helps the situation how?" Karla asked.

"It doesn't!" Kyle cried with an absurd amount of misplaced confidence.

"Kyle," Karla groaned.

"Are your parents home?" Christina asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

"Nah, Dad's got the night shift at the hospital, and Mom's out of town on business," Kyle said.

"I'm surprised they trust you not to blow anything up in their absence," Karla grumbled.

"Hey! I'm not that irresponsible," Kyle protested. "I do listen to that little voice inside my head on occasion. Come on, guys. Big house, no parents. It's going to be a blast."

"I'm with Karla," Jack said. "I don't see how this fixes anything."

"One night," Kyle announced, leveling a finger at Jack. "Come on, dude. You've been driving yourself crazy with this thing. Let's just have one night to slack off and forget and have one heck of a good time. Then we can help you figure out what to do or send you off or whatever."

The group was quiet for a moment as they waited for Jack to respond.

"Okay," Jack finally conceded with a brave smile. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

><p>The ringing was incredibly annoying.<p>

Jack groaned and rolled over in his sleeping bag, wishing for the ringing to stop.

After a full night of movies, junk food, and goofing off, Jack was exhausted. With all the excitement, Jack had forgotten to turn off his phone, and now in the middle of the night, Jack was paying the price for it.

"Shut up," Jack groaned uselessly.

The phone kept ringing.

"Jack," Kyle's muffled voice wailed. "Shut your stupid phone up before I throw it out the window."

The other teen rolled over and promptly went back to snoring.

Grumbling, Jack forced himself up and crawled to where he could see his screen glowing. James's name blinked up at him, and Jack groaned again as he went outside of Kyle's room to take the call.

"James, bud," Jack yawned into the phone. "What do you want at this hour?"

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up from a nice dream, Frost?"

Jack froze, suddenly awake.

That was not James's voice. It was much too deep, and worst of all, Jack recognized it.

"Pitch," Jack hissed into the phone. "How did you get James's phone?"

"Oh, Jack," the voice purred from the other side of the phone. "You're asking all the wrong questions."

Jack's breath hitched in his throat, and he gripped the phone so hard its edges bit into his palm.

"What have you done with James?" Jack demanded.

"He's such a nice boy," Pitch said. "Innocent and young. It would be a shame if something happened to him."

Jack felt like throwing up.

"No, please don't touch him," Jack pleaded.

"Oh, I like that," Pitch chuckled. "Hearing you beg… I could get you used to that."

"Pitch," Jack said, wishing the man would get to the point.

"You like games, don't you Jack?"

Jack was silent.

"Well, here's one for you," Pitch said. "You know what I want. This boy is worth nothing to me, but everything to you. So you're going to meet me in the forest. It's simple really, but there's one very important rule: no Guardians."

Jack's mouth was dry, so it took a moment for him to answer.

"But the Guardians are watching me," Jack protested. "They might come whether I know it or not."

"Oh, I know. Just don't go out of your way to get them involved, and if they do approach you, tell them to keep their distance unless they want a child's blood on their hands."

"O—okay," Jack agreed. "Where in the forest?"

"It's a game of hide-and-seek, Jack. Find me."

"Wait no! That's not an answer," Jack shouted.

There was silence at the other end of the phone, and when Jack checked the screen, it said the call had ended.

"Pitch," Jack spat.

He raced into Kyle's room, grabbed his hoodie and shoes, and sprinted out of the house.

It did not take long for a certain rabbit to show up.

"What's the hurry, Frost?" Bunny asked. "Are midnight runs your normal routine?"

"Pitch has James," Jack gasped between breaths.

"Wha—That bloody—Where is he holding him?"

Jack shook his head. "You can't come. Pitch was very clear that if any Guardian showed up, he would kill James."

"So you're just going to run into the bloody pot like a headless chicken?" Bunny shouted.

"Well, I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Jack yelled back. "I'm not letting James get hurt because of me. Now you need to go."

The rabbit looked like he was going to argue, but he swallowed whatever was on his mind and disappeared. Jack was not sure if the rabbit was gone for good, but he kind of doubted it. Despite the danger of the situation, knowing that the rabbit was close made him a little braver.

Finally, Jack reached the edge of the forest. Jack peered into the darkness of interlaced trees and underbrush.

Trepidation filled Jack and nearly stole his breath away.

Shaking his head as if to rid himself of those thoughts, Jack took a deep breath and entered the forest.

The forest was much different in the dark.

Jack remembered once when he was much younger, he had lost track of time and lost his way in the dark maze of trees. The darkness was as oppressive now as it had been then, and every sound seemed amplified by the fear in Jack's mind.

He flinched away from the sound of his own feet stepping on twigs, and even the slightest twitch of the underbrush stopped Jack's heart stone cold.

Jack forged ahead with thoughts of James filling his mind.

Carefully, Jack navigated the woods, keeping his eyes and ears open to anything that might tell him where the Boogeyman and his brother were.

A twig snapped just to Jack's left. The teenager paused, and when the sound did not come again, Jack was ready to dismiss it as a wild animal until the whole underbrush starting moving… and cussing?

"Stupid nature," a familiar voice grumbled. "Stupid nature in my shoe, stupid nature poking me in the side, stupid nature tripping me up."

"Kyle," Jack hissed into the darkness.

The muttering stopped for a moment, and crunching sounds could be heard making their way towards Jack.

Not one but three heads appeared from the shadows.

"What are you guys doing here?" Jack asked his three friends.

"Could ask the same to you too, Bennett," Karla muttered, tugging her jacket tight around her body.

"You owe us an explanation," Kyle demanded.

"It's cold. Can we do this elsewhere? Like inside?" Christina whispered.

Jack tried to rein in his frustration. He could hardly blame his friends for following him; his actions were suspicious after all, but he did not have time for this!

"Someone took James, and he want me to meet him in the forest," Jack summed up quickly. "You need to get out of here."

"What?" Karla shouted, forgoing all tactfulness. "What creeper would do that?"

"Shouldn't you call the police, Jack?" Christina suggested. "I don't think it's very smart to go into the woods to meet a kidnapper."

"I would, but it's more complicated than that," Jack murmured.

"Why would it—" Christina's eyes drifted to Jack's side, and her eyes darkened with understanding. "Oh," she said softly.

Karla seemed to catch on to what Christina had put together, and her mouth became a thin, disapproving line.

Kyle on the other hand…

"What?" he shouted, feeling left out.

"Where's that genius brain of yours?" Karla snorted. "Who attacked Jack?"

"The Boogeyman doesn't exist," Kyle said in all seriousness.

"Then who do you think attacked Jack?" Christina asked.

"Look," Kyle said with a sigh. "I didn't want to tell you until tomorrow or… yeah… but I think this is all in your head, dude."

Kyle gave Jack a sympathetic look, but Jack barely noticed it as his ears filled with a ringing sound, and his vision blurred without warning.

Jack looked over at Christina and Karla. His breaths were starting to come in short gasps.

Kyle thought… He thought…

Karla looked about two seconds away from pummeling Kyle into the ground, while Christina looked on with a sort horror in her eyes. The looks on his two female friends' faces should have reassured Jack, but he could not feel anything beyond the betrayal building in his gut.

Kyle thought…

"You think I'm crazy," Jack whispered.

Jack took an involuntary step backwards away from the other teen.

Kyle looked torn. He raised a hand towards Jack, but it hesitated as if unsure what to do with itself. Kyle instead balled it into a fist and let it fall to his side.

"He's not saying that," Karla growled. She shot Kyle a look that said, _You better not be saying that._

Shaking his head, Kyle said, "Jack, I don't deny that something weird is going on with you. You got some powers, yes, but being Jack Frost? Meeting Santa Claus and the rest? They don't exist. You're mind's making up things to help you cope."

"My injuries?" Jack asked. "James's abduction?"

"It's all just building on each other. I've read about it before… The mind is capable of making up entire stories for people," Kyle said. "Jack, you need—"

Kyle did not the chance to finish as Jack's fist connected with his face, knocking him backwards and onto the ground.

The four teens stilled in stunned, heavy silence. Kyle brought a hand up to his cheek, his expression shocked as if he could not believe what Jack had just done. Jack looked equally shocked and betrayed.

"Ow," Jack eventually muttered. He shook his hand and rubbed his aching knuckles.

"I believe that's my line," Kyle groaned, rubbing his cheek.

Jack gave the other boy a long hard look before declaring, "I'm wasting time. I'm out of here."

With that said, Jack turned his back to his friends and started out into the forest again.

"Wait! No." Kyle stumbled towards Jack, but stopped just short of a few steps from him. "I believe that it's very real for you—that you truly believe what you say—but you can't go chasing after it. We can call the police. Don't… Don't do this. We'll call the police, and let them deal with this."

Jack's anger was slowly cooling. He looked back at his friend, seeing the worry in the other's eyes. Kyle had grown up in a world of science and facts, while Jack inherited the Bennett imagination and wild fantasies; for a moment, Jack could see Kyle's side. Too bad Jack was just as stubborn as Kyle was in his beliefs.

Jack shook his head and continued his trek towards the lake.

"Jack, I'm scared for you," Kyle called after him.

He would have left it at that. Jack would have kept walking without a second glance backwards, but he heard Christina yelp. Jack twisted around, his instinct to protect rearing up.

It was hard to make out what was really going on, but from where Jack was standing, it looked as if the shadows from the trees had extended and wrapped themselves around Christina's ankles.

Looking from one face to another, Jack could tell that all his friends were seeing something terrifying, but based on Kyle's little confession, he could not be sure that what they saw was the same thing he was seeing.

A laugh echoed through the trees and seemed to make them tremble.

"I'm scared," a voice mimicked Kyle's.

Jack grit his teeth. He knew that voice of course.

"Pitch!" Jack yelled out. "Where's James?"

The voice laughed again. "Would you like to see him? That can be arranged."

Christina yelled again as the darkness around her ankles swelled and swallowed up more of her body. Karla raced towards her friend, intent on helping, but as soon as her feet touched the darkness, she stuck fast as if it were tar.

Jack's eyes widened as he realized the darkness was bearing down on all four of them.

"No!" Jack yelled. "Leave them alone! Don't—"

That was all Jack got out before the darkness engulfed him.

* * *

><p><strong>Just in case you were curious (because I thought this all out, but did not really have room to stick it in the actual story), Kyle thinks Jack has something along the lines of schizophrenia. I'm thinking of something similar to the story of <strong>_**A Beautiful Mind **_**(a wonderful movie that I highly recommend if you want something that will blow your mind and hit you in the feels as well).**

**Thank you for all your reviews! It blows my mind every time I see how many of you people leave such lovely notes. I'll be answering reviews tomorrow (hopefully), so sit tight. **

**Answers to anonymous reviews: **

**Guest: **Some great speculations, but I'm neither confirming nor denying any of them. Thanks for the review!

**WEast: **I'm glad you like little James' fun scene. He's such a sweetheart in my head, and so fun to write. You might be right… maybe… maybe not… You'll just have to wait and see. Thanks!

**Devil angel: **And again, thank so much for always dropping a review!

**Regality: **Haha I never really saw them as a ship. I'm glad you like Christina so much (she is sweet, isn't she?), but just a warning, I'm not much of a romance writer… Thanks for the review!

**ArcAngelCrystal: **Aww, thanks so much! It's always exciting to get new readers. :)

**~playing-in-the-mud**


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